Enlightening
by FlowerCrazy
Summary: Story that follows 'Here It Begins'.  Finally settling into her new life, Red still has strings that hold her to her old life.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own MacGyver or Airwolf. They belong to MGM and Belisurio. I'm just borrowing for the purpose of entertainment. All other original characters are of my creation.

**Note: This is the second installment of a story I've been working on for awhile. The first was 'Here It Begins' that sets up the background of a few people and settles our main character into her new life. This story is a bit more active than the last but it's not finished and I'm struggling to figure out how to end it. There's a third installment I started but it's still in the rough draft stage. Can't look at it much till I finish this one. Any ideas or suggestions, critiques, criticisms are welcome. Enjoy

Ch 1

Red wasn't the tallest person in the world by any stretch of the imagination but even she had to unfold herself to get out of the flight simulator. She had been crammed in it for the past five hours. She stretched and heard her back pop in a few places as she managed to get her muscles to relax. She looked around as the technicians came over and disconnected the blood pressure cuff and took off the tabs that monitored brain function and heart rate.

The one lab tech looked at her sympathetically before scurrying off to put the monitors back in the control room. She'd flown long hours in cramped quarters of a cockpit but at least she didn't have someone yelling at her over the intercom or trying to tell her how to fly. For the thousandth time in the past four months, she wished she had taken the dishonorable discharge from the Air Force. Anything would have been better than being crammed into a simulator for hours on end.

Doctor Ichi came hurrying over to her, "What are you doing? We have yet to get the program to handle the cross location of the …." He stopped rambling suddenly at the very cold, hard look that Red was giving him. He swallowed as he looked at her, trying to get his heart rate to calm down and his thoughts to quiet so when he opened his mouth the next time he wouldn't find her fist planted in it.

"Doctor Ichi. I have been in that simulator for almost five hours. I'm cramped, stiff and my patience is running 'very' thin right now," said Red as she glared at him, trying to keep her voice calm and even.

He opened his mouth to say something but she held up a finger, "Aaagghhh! Don't you dare use that 'But you've been in a cockpit of other planes for longer hours' argument. You know my answer to that one. One, I at least have something to look at for the long hours of flying like changing scenery or clouds. Two, I don't have someone yelling at me in Japanese over the headset then calling me 'stupid' under his breath every ten minutes."

She paused, trying not to laugh at the sheer look of horror on his face. "Yes, I have 'very' good hearing and I can hear quite clearly those mumbled insults and I do know what 'baca' means in Japanese. Thanks to you, I've had to start learning Japanese just to figure out what the hell you're yelling at me. And three, I haven't eaten since last night. You didn't give me a chance to grab anything on my way here and you sure as hell haven't bothered to even provide me with a power bar or an MRE," she barked at him.

The Doctors face was now the third color of red she'd seen in turn in sixty seconds. "But we are so close to having it perfected!" he complained at the interruption of work.

Red looked around at all the other lab techs and staff that had been working as hard and as long as she had been today. She couldn't miss the cringed looks and haggard expressions. Her cold blue eyes came back to glare at Doctor Ichi. "I have no authority here…," she said as she raised her voice enough for everyone to hear, "…but I think letting everyone, including me, take an hour or so for a healthy lunch and a break, you'll have better results this afternoon. But I'm not going back into that seat until I've had a chance to get something to eat, a chance to get some exercise, a shower and go pee! And not in that particular order!" she shouted back over her shoulder as she turned to leave.

She turned on her heel and stormed out of the lab, slamming her way through the swinging doors of the lab. She hadn't even looked back to see the look on Doctor Ichi's face at her last statement. But it was true. All she'd been allowed this morning was a cup of tea as she'd been hurried from her bed, into her flight suit and down to the lab that held the simulator to test some big breakthrough. She felt like a lab rat at the blatant disregard by the doctor and half his staff toward her well being. She had lost over ten pounds since she was transferred to this base four months ago. She'd had time to keep up with her business over the computer for the first month. Things had been slow to start with her new 'position' and she'd had some down time while they were prepping the lab for the newest round of testing on an experimental new plane.

But as things started to pick up, she'd had very little time to even get in her daily run, much less check on her email or how the business was going. Half the time when she got done in the lab it was late at night and all she could think of was to get some sleep before they decided they needed her again. She'd fall into bed and it would seem as if only an hour had passed before she'd get a call to come down to the labs again. She was certain she was in one of the seven levels of hell.

After locking herself in the single stall bathroom down the hall from the labs, she took a moment to take care of business. She stood in front of the bathroom mirror for a few minutes as she let the warm water run continuously over her hands. They were numb from holding to the stick for several hours and the seat didn't help with good circulation either. No one seemed willing to listen to her suggestions on fixing it. What did she know? She was just a dumb stick jockey. Yup, definitely in hell.

Four months ago she had a choice to either transfer to the research and development labs in Texas to help test a new fighter jet concept that was being worked on or be given a dishonorable discharge. Those that sat in judgment of her at the hearing had given her no other options. They wouldn't accept her 'retirement' and said she could retire in eight months when her current 'term' in the Air Force had expired. At the end of eight months, she could either retire or they would reevaluate her position if she wished to remain with the Air Force. Until then, she had to be on her best behavior or she faced dishonorable discharge.

She splashed warm water on her face as she bent over the sink to stretch out her back a little more. She was almost positive that those at the hearing had instructed Doctor Ichi to make her life as miserable as possible in these eight months. She pulled out several paper towels and wiped off her face and hands before reemerging from the bathroom to head to the mess hall. She could only hope they still had something edible to eat left from breakfast or at least had started serving something for lunch.

As she pushed open the door to the cafeteria she spotted the lab tech that had looked at her earlier with sympathy. She looked around and saw several others from the lab, each giving her a nod in greeting when their eyes met. Apparently the 'worker bees' had revolted and left the lab to get something for lunch or Doctor Ichi had unbent enough to let them have time off for a meal. A few minutes after she sat down at a small table, she saw several others from the lab join the rest. Simple nods were exchanged with her but nothing else was said.

She never bothered to complain to the techs or get too frustrated with them through this whole ordeal. They were treated just about as badly as she was but at least they had freedom to move about during the hours that she was crammed into the simulator. The good doctor was the root of most problems in the lab. Always pushing, never retreating, hardly even pausing to sleep sometimes. The one and only thing that kept her civil and compliant at this point was remembering that in two days, she would be headed back to California. She would get to spend a week and a half of vacation between her business and her cabin.

She went up to the counter for seconds on the sandwiches as she thought about the last email she'd received from MacGyver, telling her they'd gone up to the cabin last weekend. She had left him with the keys to the cabin and he'd been able to get all the repairs done that were needed. He had a standing invitation to use it any time he wanted to get away and go fishing or escape the city. She basically told him she'd feel better knowing someone was at least spending a few days up there every so often.

Rachelle also had a set of keys to the place. She and her daughter, Erica, had spent several weekends up there hiking and spending quiet time together. She kept Red updated on all the things going on with the business from schedules to contracts. Business had really begun to boom. Two months ago they decided to buy out the other flight service at Van Nyues that Red had seen advertised for sale when she had first arrived there. She had considered buying it when she first saw it advertised, but that was before she found out she was inheriting a business and 30,000 acres of land.

The business provided them with two more choppers, two small private planes and the extra pilot they needed. They were still trying to clean out the hanger that had been rented by the previous owner so they could get out of the contract with Van Nyues Airport for it. They had their eye on a storage hanger next door that was rumored to be coming available in the next few months. The other hanger had become a rat's nest of junk in the past three years. They were having a hard time getting through all of the clutter and junk to sift out what was worth keeping and what was to be tossed.

But Red couldn't complain. Business was good and as soon as they got a little more settled and a bit more established again in the business things would smooth out to a dull roar. Rachelle was the best choice she could have made for running the business and Red tried to make sure she was rewarded for her efforts. She was beginning to feel as though Rachelle was someone she could trust with just about anything.

She wrenched herself out of her reverie as she saw someone standing in front of her table, holding a meal tray. She looked up and saw that it was Doctor Ichi looking down at her. "May I join you?" he asked.

She was silent for a moment then nodded, motioning to the opposite chair. "Please sit," she said as she waited for him to settle. It was a bit of a shock because until this moment Doctor Ichi had never approached her outside of the lab.

She watched him as he settled at the table and then put the napkin in his lap. He was quiet for a few more moments and she didn't feel like rushing him. She could do without hearing his voice again for the rest of her life to be honest. He stilled his movements before looking up at her. "I wish to apologize to you for pushing so hard," he said, bowing his head a little to her. "I forget that none of this would be possible without you to test it as it is being refined. I mean no disrespect to you but my excitement does get the best of me at the worst of times it seems."

This was certainly a change in demeanor. Perhaps the lab techs had revolted and had left him to realize that he was pushing everyone a bit too hard. She remained quiet as he sat watching her. Her cool blue eyes watched every nuance of his behavior and facial expressions to find any lapse in sincerity.

"We are so close to having the program perfected. Once that hurdle has been jumped, the rest will go much more quickly. I wish to produce results for those funding this project to show them that we have been doing our best to …." He paused as she leaned forward, the expression on her face showed her confusion.

"…'those funding the project'? I thought the military was funding this project," she commented. This was something new that she apparently had no knowledge about. Granted, most of this project was none of her concern. She was only here to test the programming and in the end, test the final project if it was completed before she 'retired'.

Doctor Ichi looked at her for a moment as if she'd grown a second head, "Yes. The military is helping provide the facilities for testing the programs in the flight simulators and personnel, but the funding for the design and implementation is from a company called ResRadt. Part of the agreement is that if the program is successful and the military is satisfied with the results, they will enter into a full contract with ResRadt to fund the building of a new fleet of fighter jets," he said excitedly, almost 'bouncing' in his seat.

Red had never heard of ResRadt. Of course, she wasn't up on all of the newest companies coming out on the market that had their fingers in the aviation field. With a nod she looked back at the doctor, relaxing her eyes a little so not to seem so 'hard'. "I accept your apology Doctor Ichi. I just ask that you don't 'yell' at me over the headset or call me stupid. I am a very well educated woman and I've been flying choppers and planes longer than you've had your PhD. I don't know what you were told about me but the reason I'm here is because I wasn't willing to take a dishonorable discharge. I've got four more months before I'm allowed to retire from the Air Force. I was given those two choices at my hearing over my conduct when trying out a new modification to an F-16. I 'apparently' caused some damage to an 'officers' car with my stunt," she said as she pushed her tray to the side a little.

Doctor Ichi nodded a little. "I was told that you are one of the best female pilots, able to make any plane or chopper do the near impossible. But they said you were reckless and didn't deal well with authoritative figures. They told me that if I wasn't careful, you would try to get away with as much as you could."

The look on her face must have been priceless because Doctor Ichi suddenly realized that she was angrier than he'd ever seen her. But she was utterly silent and the hard glare at the wall behind him could have cut glass like a diamond.

She didn't look at him. "I blew the windows out of the man's car because of the degrading way he had been talking to his pilots and crew chief." Her eyes flicked to the doctor again and then back to the wall. "I won't crow that I'm the best female pilot but I have a love of flying and a knack to know what a machine will and won't do. I have no problem with authority figures unless I feel they are abusing those they are responsible for. Just because you're higher ranking than someone does not mean you're better than your subordinates. I have a great respect for those who realize this and act accordingly with respect and in a professional manner."

Doctor Ichi swallowed nervously as those eyes had slipped back to look at him, but he could feel himself relaxing just a little. Her words seemed to ring true with what he had witnessed even today. A superior was nothing without those supporting him from below. He had forgotten that somewhat in his quest and excitement to finish this project.

She 'smiled' a slight bit, the corner of one side of her lips moving up. "But I am the best pilot for the job. I will push your software and plane design beyond the normal limits that most everyone else will push it. Best to see what it truly can and cannot do now before it is put into production. If it can break, I'll break it. But I'm also reliable enough to tell you 'how' I broke it and smart enough to help give suggestions on ways it might be fixed."

The doctor blinked at her for a moment and then smiled at her. "It is good to know that you will push it to its limit once the program is perfected and we move to the actual mechanical flight simulator." He then extended a hand across the table towards her.

She looked at the hand and then stood as if to leave. This seemed to startle the doctor until she took his hand and shook it, bowing deeply to him. "I will be back to the lab in one hour. Give me a little time to exercise and shower before I have to climb back into that simulator in hopes we can perfect the software by this evening," she said with a slight uplift of the corners of her mouth, the most of a smile he'd ever seen from her. She then picked up her tray and emptied it into the nearby garbage before heading to the gym.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

True to her word, Red had shown up an hour later, having finished a several mile run on the treadmill before showering and returning to the lab. She was more relaxed than he'd seen her in awhile and he noticed that his staff seemed a bit more at ease as well. As he had hoped, by the end of the night they had worked out the last of the problems on the program. Red was then allowed to spend the next hour trying to break the program by making the simulator do things it wasn't meant to do.

The next morning found her back in the simulator until lunchtime trying to break the programming once more. With a little luck other than one or two small fixes that needed to be made, it looked as though they were off to the races to install it into the actual mobile flight simulator. But that would take a week and a half to set up the cockpit with the proper gauges, seat and equipment as well as the program.

She reported to the general in charge of the facility the following day and was soon on her way back to California aboard a transport heading to Edwards, with a stopover at Nellis. She called Rachelle as soon as she knew which plane she'd be hitching a ride on and when her ETA would be at Edwards. Rachelle was like a kid in a candy store. She seemed as though she couldn't wait the six hours for her to get there and off the base.

Six hours later Red was dropped off at the front gate of Edwards Air Force Base where a taxi was waiting to take her to the local airstrip on the outskirts of town. The sight of the white chopper with red and blue stripes on it was good on the eyes. Anything was better than the inside of the lab she'd been looking at the past three months.

Rachelle and Erica, her daughter, were waiting for her as she finished paying the taxi driver and pulling out her duffle bag and laptop case from the trunk of the car. She slung the duffle over her shoulder and headed towards the waiting chopper. As she closed the distance, Erica skipped up to her in her thirteen year old way and gave her a hug around the waist. Rachelle seemed to find Red's expression quite hilarious. Red gave her a one armed hug, "Hiya kid. How's things?" she asked Erica as they walked the last few yards to the chopper.

"Oh…fine. Mom let me join the softball team at school," chattered Erica about everyday things as they came up to her mother. Erica then pulled the duffle bag off of Red's shoulder, staggering under its weight before dumping it onto the decking.

Rachelle was still trying not to laugh at Red. "Boss Lady, you look wretched. I know you've lost weight and you've got the beginnings of two black holes forming under your eyes," she said as she patted Red on the back. "It's really good to have you back home. We're counting down the days till you're back for good."

Red blinked, a bit overwhelmed by these greetings. It was such a strange concept to her to be welcomed somewhere, to have someone waiting for her to return. She seemed a bit stunned yet as she loaded her laptop along side of the duffle and strapped them down. "It's really….really good to not be cooped up in that flight simulator or on a transport plane for six hours. The turbulence almost vibrated the teeth out of my skull."

"Well good! I've made up the spare bedroom at the apartment. You can stay with us tonight and we'll head to the hanger tomorrow so you can check up on things. I figure you might as well get it out of the way now so you can spend the rest of your week up at the cabin just relaxing," said Rachelle as she climbed into the pilot seat.

Erica clambered into the back seat of the chopper, "Yeah! Just wait till you see how the cabin looks now! MacGyver and mom did a great job!" she said excitedly.

Red looked back at Erica, "Is that a fact?" then smiled at Erica's excited head bobbing. "Well, then I guess I'll have to be patient until I can see all of it, huh." Again the curly headed brunette haircut bounced up and down with the excited head nodding before Red turned to look at her mother.

"Mind if I drive?" she asked Rachelle as she prepped the chopper for takeoff.

Rachelle laughed, "I would think you were sick if you hadn't asked. I'd be fool if I thought you would want to relax and let someone else do the flying for once," she teased.

All she got for her efforts was a 'snort' and a slight smirk.

The flight back to the hanger was a short forty-five minutes, followed by a twenty minute car ride from there to Rachelle's apartment that they had recently moved into. Red found herself shoved into the bathroom by Erica who complained that she 'smelled' like jet fuel and dirty socks. The hot shower did wonders for her aching shoulders and found that she only had one pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt left for her outside the bathroom door. The rest of her clothing had 'disappeared' into the washing machine while she'd been bathing. Red was struck again by how strange it felt to have someone else taking care of such things for her, even though she hadn't asked anyone to.

Supper was steak and baked potato with all the trimmings. Red was in heaven and asked who decided that supper would be steak. Erica piped up that it was all her idea though Rachelle was the one who'd grilled the steaks. "How did you know that I was craving steak and potato's?" asked Red.

Erica shrugged, looking 'innocent'. "Oh…I just knew," she said, trying to be mysterious.

Red raised an eyebrow. "Well Miss 'I just knew'…I think you've been talking to MacGyver and getting all of my secrets out of him somehow, yes?" she said as she waggled her eyebrows at the shocked look on Erica's face. "Don't worry kiddo. You're 'instincts' were right on target. This is 'the' best meal I've had in four months and it tastes wonderful. I've had nothing but 'mess hall' food for four months with very little access to the outside world to get something other than what's being served on the lunch line."

Erica smiled and clapped her hands excitedly. "Good, I'm glad," she exclaimed as she finished eating her own chunk of steak.

When supper was over and dishes were done, Red disappeared for a few minutes into the spare bedroom where she'd left her laptop. She came back out with two things wrapped up in brown paper. One was a small box and the other looked like a book of some kind. "A little trifle from my trip," she said with a smile as she handed the small box to Rachelle and the other to Erica.

Now it was their turn to blink in surprise, suddenly unsure of what to say to Red. Rachelle reached slowly for the box as Erica looked at the other present. "What is it?" she asked innocently.

"Well, I don't know. You'll have to open it to find out," she stated, sitting in an overstuffed chair and pulling her feet up under her.

Rachelle looked at the box and then looked up at Red. "You don't have to do this you know. You've already given us so much," she tried to reason.

"So? Hey, it's the least I can do to show my appreciation and that I couldn't even think of doing any of this without your help," she said, actually letting her cool personality slip mostly away, relaxing and letting these two see part of the real person she was.

Rachelle motioned for Erica to open her present first. She carefully removed the plain brown wrapping to reveal a hard covered cookbook underneath. Erica's eyes lit up, "For me?" she asked as Red chuckled.

"No Erica. I just like watching people open things I bought for myself. Of course it's for you. It's written by a very famous French Chef," she said as she motioned for Erica to open it up. She watched as Erica opened to first half of the book, looking it over.

Erica frowned slightly. "It's all in French. But…I can't read French."

"Yes, but the back half of the book is the same set of recipes translated into English. If you wish to learn to make some of the finest cuisine like you said you did, you must also learn to speak a little French. Look inside the cover."

Erica turned to the back quickly and seemed to relax when she saw the English recipes as Red had promised were there. She then closed the book and lifted the front cover. "It's autographed! But…it's written in French, I think," she said, squinting at the words.

Red motioned to Erica to bring her the book. Erica got up and moved over to where Red was sitting and handed her the book. Red opened the cover and in a very delicate accent, read the 'letter' in the front to Erica. Erica watched her in fascination as she listened, recognizing her name and Red's name in the wording.

"But what's it mean?" she asked with the impatience of a typical young teenager.

Red laughed. "Calm down. Let me read it to you in English now," she said as she shifted in her chair.

'To Erica, the young aspiring chef of my friend Red. I hope you find my book and recipes to be of some assistance in your quest to become the greatest chef in the world. Some of these recipes are traditional French cuisine while some are of my own creation. I hope you try them all. Red was always willing to try my creations and always honest about the results. Many of these recipes she has already tried, though some of my 'failures' have been left out or altered to become successes. Always be willing to try something new, never forget the recipes of old and keep your kitchen knives sharp and your tongue sharper. Your friend, Jacque Marquee.'

It took Erica a moment to realize that this famous French Chef had referred to Red as a friend and taste tester for some of these very recipes. She nearly vibrated with excitement. "You know Jacque Marquee? THE Jacque Marquee, the one that does different cooking challenges on the Cooking Channel on TV?" she asked, hardly able to believe it.

Red chuckled. "Guilty as charged. I was stationed in France for two years and after I had spent several hours upon arriving in Tulon trying to find a place to eat, this man calls me over from his doorway. He spoke decent English and said he could recognize a starving military person from twenty paces. He often jokes, saying that I had been wasting away on American food and he had to show me the 'errors of my ways'. He took me up to his tiny restaurant above a local tobacco shop and made me try several new dishes he had prepared. When I wasn't willing to grovel over his food but instead gave him honest feedback, he insisted I come back to eat at his place every night I was able to. Lets just say that it was a 'very' interesting time for me in learning all about the French language, French cooking, how to discern a good wine from 'cooking wine' as he calls our American fare," she said with a chuckle and a grin.

Erica's eyes looked like they were going to bug out of her head and suddenly held the book with great care. "He wrote that for me?" she asked, still seeming to not want to believe her luck.

Red laughed and nodded, "But of course. I email him from time to time and told him about how you love to cook and how you confessed to me you wanted to be the best chef in the world. So to encourage you in your pursuit he sent you a copy of his book to me, to give to you."

Erica could only stare at Red and then suddenly gave her a huge hug around the neck and a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you!" she exclaimed as she nearly bounced over to the couch to sit next to her mother. "What did she get you mom?" she asked, trying to be polite.

Rachelle laughed, "Well I doubt that it's anything quite as spectacular as your own autographed book by Jacque Marquee." She looked over at Red, trying to see if her expression would give anything away. She was met with a polite but cunning smile from her boss.

She carefully began to take off the wrapper, revealing a plain white box underneath. She set the paper aside and opened the top of the box carefully, then pulled the tissue paper wrapped item out. She delicately unwrapped it to reveal an antique silver nose gay holder. With a gasp, her hands shook as she picked it up carefully as if it might break by her just holding it. "How did you know?" she asked, looking up at Red in surprise.

"How did I know you like to collect antique Victorian pieces and that you had been looking to find a genuine nose gay holder? Oh…a little bird told me one time. Kind of nice to have connections overseas that owe a few favors," she teased Rachelle lightly. "Inside the box you'll find the certificate that verifies its authenticity and dating."

Rachelle seemed ecstatic over it, turning it over and over in her hands, admiring its beauty and craftsmanship. "Oh Red. You didn't have to! But…thank you!" she said, almost in tears.

Red could only shrug and stand, "I wanted to. Might not always be able to show my appreciation but I can at least try." she said with a smile as she stood, stretched, then excused herself for the night. She headed to bed, hoping to get the first uninterrupted sleep she'd had in months.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next two days were a whirlwind of going through the books with Rachelle. The meetings with producers that wanted specific things from their company seemed to go on for hours. The third day saw meetings with two private firms that wanted to meet the owner of the business before they committed to a signed contract to use the air service.

By mid afternoon on the third day of being 'home', Red flopped in an office chair. She laid an arm over her eyes, "Are you sure Rachelle? Absolutely sure that takes care of everything I had to deal with?" she asked for confirmation before removing her arm so she could look at Rachelle who was silently laughing at her from behind her desk.

"I'm sure. Hey, I warned you didn't I? It wouldn't be so bad if these could have been handled as they came up. At least everyone was courteous enough to realize that you're in the military and unable to drop everything to meet their needs." Rachelle chuckled a little, "Now…why don't you take Erica in the Jeep and the two of you go get some groceries and any supplies you might need for the next week or your return to Texas."

Red looked at her for a moment, "Why do I suddenly get the feeling that you've got some scheme up your sleeve and you're just keeping me out of the way until you can plot my demise?" she asked Rachelle with a 'look'.

Rachelle blinked innocently, "Moi? I would never scheme against you or plot your demise. I'm shocked that you'd think such a thing," she teased right back. "You better get going or you'll never get onto the actual 'relaxation' part of your vacation."

Red stood up from the chair and stretched, "Yes 'mom'," she shot back. Rachelle was older than Red by about three years but sometimes the way she talked, it felt like she had on the 'mom' hat along with her 'manager' hat. Red made it to the door before she heard Rachelle snort in a rather un-lady like manner.

After stopping to pick up Erica from school, Red drove the company Jeep over to one of the bigger chain stores. She learned that day why you don't take young teenagers shopping with you very often. At lease Erica made it entertaining but Red was sure that Erica had instructions from her mother to make sure that certain things were purchased like a new pair of jeans and a few nicer shirts instead of the t-shirts and flannel plaid shirts she had stuffed in her duffle bag.

With a quick stop at the apartment to grab her duffle bag, they headed back to the hanger. Rachelle had already prepped one of the choppers since she was going to be flying Red up to the cabin and then coming back for her at the end of the week unless there was an emergency or Red needed to go somewhere, which she highly doubted. At this moment in time, she just wanted to get to some place where there was peace and quiet.

The trip up to the cabin was thankfully subdued as the sun was just starting to head for the horizon. When she flew along the lake, she could only marvel silently that it truly felt like she was coming 'home'. The cabin windows were dark but it seemed ready to welcome her as they flew up to it. MacGyver had rebuilt the landing dock, giving her the perfect place to set down.

Erica and Rachelle climbed out of the chopper, each grabbing an armload of food and goods from the shopping trip. Erica nabbed the keys from Red and ran ahead to unlock the door. Red only shook her head, "If only I could have an ounce of that energy…" She left the sentence hanging since it was something both women spoke about from time to time, wishing for the 'fountain of youth' just to be able to keep up with Erica.

Erica had the door unlocked and had gotten inside by the time the two women made it to the porch. The last time Red had been here, it was in need of some repair work due to being empty for sixteen some years. The porch that stretched around three sides of the cabin had a new floor and several of the posts had been replaced. She shifted her duffle bag to her shoulder as she reached to push the door open and stepped inside, trying to fumble for the light switch in the growing dark.

When the lights flicked on, she could only stand in the doorway and stare at what she was seeing. The walls were covered with classical paintings. Sculptures and other pieces of artwork sat on end tables and on the mantle of the fireplace. She blinked once, then twice before looking up at two men standing at the railing of the loft. Both were wearing huge grins and she was sure her heart had just stopped. One was MacGyver, the other…Sam.

"Surprise!" cheered Erica as she bounced up to Red and pulled the duffle bag from her numb hands.

Red's mind suddenly engaged when she realized she was standing in the doorway, blocking Rachelle from entering. She knew her mouth must be hanging open as she dropped her duffle bag by the back of the couch. Her mind registered hearing Rachelle enter and Erica run back outside for another load. "How…I mean, where… where did this all come from?" she stammered out, trying not to sound too stupid.

MacGyver spoke up as they were coming down the stairs, "Well… remember that handle you found in the closet? Even after a few days we still couldn't figure out what it had unlocked. Wasn't until a month later that Sam and I were up here doing some fix and repair when Sam noticed the wine cabinet was 'loose'. Seems it swings out and there's a fallout shelter under the cabin from when it was built after World War II."

Sam picked up that end of the conversation as he took the box of perishables from Rachelle's hands. "We went down into the shelter and found that whoever had handled the estate had packed up everything of value and hid it down there. Took us an entire weekend to inventory it all. You're father was quite an art collector," he said as he set the box on the counter.

Red's heart was thrumming a mile a minute and she quickly looked away from Sam as she looked back around. The lead glass cabinets had been filled with books and knick knacks. The cupboards in the dining room area were full of silver and china. Pictures of people she'd never seen before hung everywhere behind the bar and near the kitchen. She began to feel a bit overwhelmed by this all just as she heard Rachelle behind her. "Happy Birthday 'Major' MacPhearson," she said.

Red turned around to see Rachelle holding a birthday cake with candles on it. "But I never…" She tried to deny it as it dawned on her that MacGyver actually knew her birthday, though she'd never told anyone else when it was. She never spent any time celebrating her birthday and hadn't since her adoptive mother had passed away. It was just another day to mark the passing of another year for her.

Her eyes went to Erica, "You little minx. MacGyver never could say no to you so you've been picking his brain, haven't you," she 'accused' the thirteen year old.

Erica just grinned wider and 'tried' to look innocent. MacGyver laughed, "Better blow out your candles Red and make a wish. You don't and Erica will probably do it for you," he teased.

Turning, she looked at Rachelle as if to tell her that she'd get even some day and then took a lungful of air and blew. All went out on the first try, leaving little wisps of smoke rising off several of them. "How'd you light them all Rachelle without setting the deck on fire?" teased Sam. The only response he got was another snort and a tongue stuck out in his direction.

As Rachelle carried the cake over to the breakfast bar, Red gave both men a hug and thanked them for their hard work. "The place looks beautiful," she said with a touch of shyness. She thought the hug from Sam lasted just a little longer than the one with his dad but she quickly broke the contact and averted her eyes from his. She still hated herself for feeling so confused around him. She smiled hesitantly at him but then diverted her attention to the paintings.

While in France, she had taken the time to go to many of the museums there. The picture near the stairwell looked very familiar. She went over and looked at it for a long moment. Sam came up behind her. "When we pulled that one out of the crate, we were quite impressed at the quality of the copy to the original in Paris. Come to find out after a little research, it 'is' the original," he stated just over her shoulder. "In fact, all of these paintings are the originals. It's one of the most amazing private collections we've ever seen."

Her muscles were tense as knotted cords, feeling his breath tickle the back of her neck. "It's…It's fantastic. I saw the one in Paris six years ago," she stated evenly, trying her best to sound as if nothing was wrong with her. She knew there wasn't much of a chance of that with her stuttering like a nervous teenager.

Erica came to her rescue, pulling her over to the counter where Rachelle was cutting the cake. "You get first piece. I made it myself!" she exclaimed, "You're favorite too. Dutch chocolate with mocha icing."

Red looked over at the 'snitch' only to see him grinning rather widely, "Is there anything you didn't tell her?" she asked accusingly of the man.

MacGyver looked to the ceiling as if thinking, "Mmmm…. Not sure. If I have, I could always make up things to tell her," he teased lightly as she was handed the first piece on a plate with a fork. Once everyone else was served, she took the first bite. She chewed it and silently admitted to herself that it was fantastic, but to get even with Erica she began to act as if she'd been poisoned. She coughed and choked and grabbed her throat, making her eyes bug out.

Erica looked utterly terrified that something was wrong with it until she saw Red laughing at her. "It's fantastic Erica. I'm teasing," she said at the angry look she was getting from the teenager. Sam and Rachelle laughed at the young girl's misfortune. "You'll have to keep this recipe and maybe drizzle dark chocolate as a decoration over it. But otherwise it doesn't need any improvement." She took another bite of the cake, picking up the crumbs by smashing them with the back of her fork as everyone else began to eat their own piece.

The silence that followed was quite satisfying for Erica as she happily licked icing off of her fork. Within an hour, food had been unpacked and Rachelle was ready to fly MacGyver and Erica back to the hanger.

Sam had asked if he might stay the night since he was hiking in the area to get photos for an upcoming issue of Naturalist Digest. He had figured this would be a great place to hike around in since it saw very little human activity on her 30,000 square acres. He also commented that it might be a good way to keep up on policing the area to make sure no one was encroaching on the area.

With a nervous swallow, Red had nodded that he could. She saw off the other three as they loaded up the chopper and took off into the dark. Red stood for the longest time on the dock, looking out over the water that reflected back from the sliver of a moon showing tonight. The silence, broken only by the sound of an owl in the distance, made her feel for a moment that she was completely alone. As she turned to leave, she nearly ran face first into Sam who stood about six inches taller than she did.

She took an involuntary step backwards, unable to think of anything to say to him as he looked down at her with a gentle smile. Finally she managed to stammer out, "Thank you…again…for…for helping with the...I mean, my cabin…the repairs, that is." She knew she must sound utterly ridiculous.

Sam's face looked a little more serious for a moment, "You're welcome," was all he said in return for the moment, but his eyes never left her.

She fidgeted, utterly lost as to what she should say or where she should go. It was as if her mind had suddenly become blank of even the most basic commands. She took another step back from him, but he followed with a step forward of his own. Another step took her back out onto the platform of the dock. He slowly followed her as she backed away from him.

Finally he stopped advancing on her, "Red…why are you so scared of me?" he asked. "Am I truly that terrifying?" he said as if trying to lightly tease her.

She froze in her tracks, her mind and emotions swirling around in slowly tightening spirals. She wasn't sure if Sam had ever picked up on her change in behavior around him but he had never seemed to be any different around her, showing very little interest in her. She wasn't even sure of what to say to him at this moment. "No. It's just…I don't really know why…just, I don't know," she babbled on, her face turning a deep shade of red. The darkness hid it but she was sure her face was bright enough to be seen even in the dark of night.

Sam remained where he was. "We've known each other for what…eleven years now?" he asked as if trying to remind her that it had been awhile since they first met. "But every time you see me, talk to me or are around me, you suddenly stiffen up, glower at me, stammer, look terrified or like you want to bolt in any direction but the one I'm standing in," he said matter of factly. "I just want to know what I've done to make you so nervous around me," he asked, keeping still.

She swallowed nervously, looking around, anywhere but at him. "It's not…you. I mean…it is, kind of but…its complicated," she managed to say. She wanted so badly to kick herself. She was a few short years away from being in her mid-thirties but right now she was utterly terrified for some reason and her mind kept shying away from that reason as she tried to think all of this through logically. Her eyes looked up at his for a moment and in utter horror, she realized he was putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

He stood there for a few silent minutes, staring at her as things began to click into place. He seemed to be as speechless as she was except for the one word he uttered. "Oh..."

She quickly turned around so she wouldn't have to see the rejection in his face. Last she knew he was dating some woman he'd met on one of his photo shoots he'd been on. MacGyver had said the two were getting along really well a few months back. She had almost felt like crying when she'd heard that but maybe it was for the best. No one around to leave her when they tired of being second to her love of flying, just like the past three guys she'd let herself get romantically involved with.

A quiet voice came from behind her, "So…all this time, you've been ….in love with me…and you've not said anything or tried to get my notice," he said as he watched her back.

She gave a half hearted shrug but added a slight nod to it, unable to comprehend what to even say to him. How could she tell him something that she hadn't even been able to fully voice, even to herself. She didn't want to admit that she might actually love him. She'd never felt like this around anyone before. What if it was a 'once in a lifetime' love and he was already taken or didn't feel the same way about her? She had courage enough to face down an enemy fighter jet but she apparently wasn't strong enough to even admit her own feelings to herself.

She suddenly felt a strong arm clamp around her legs and one around her shoulders, pinning her arms to her sides. Before she could even yell in startlment, she felt herself picked up off the dock. "What the hell!" she growled. "PUT me DOWN!" she hollered at Sam as she felt him walk to the edge of the dock.

"Ok." was the only word he said as he took three strides to the edge of the dock and tossed her into the lake.

She went under the water, resurfacing a moment later sputtering to clear her nose and mouth. She glared at him in the darkness. "What the HELL did you do that for?" she shouted at him.

He stood at the edge and glared down at her, "Here I thought this whole time I'd done something to scare you or thought I terrified you in some way. I could never get you alone to ask you what it was that made you avoid me! I've been beating myself up for the past handful of years, wondering what I'd done. And here it was you the whole time!" he shouted back at her.

She was treading water, soaked to the skin. Luckily they were well into the height of summer and the water wasn't too cold. She blinked water from her eyes, reaching a wet hand up to push hair from her face. "Me? What did I do! You've had girlfriends left and right, any one of them I'm sure would have been perfect for you. You showed no interest in me whatsoever."

His eyes grew angry as she caught a look at them in the waning moonlight. "None of them interested me the way you do. If, for one minute, I thought that it wasn't fear you were feeling around me, I would have shown my 'interest in you'."

She started to climb up the makeshift ladder on the side of the dock, the sound of the water dripping off of her as it hit the lake water. "Besides, why should I be the one to show any interest. I'd just be another notch in your belt, just like I was for the last two guys I dated. Then when they got tired of waiting for me to get back from some place or worry when I didn't…or another pretty thing came along…"

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and a heavy shove backwards. She hadn't been looking at him but rather where the rungs of the ladder were as she argued with him. She felt her hands slip off the ladder as she lost her grip and landed back in the water. She came up coughing up lake water, madder than a hive of hornets.

"WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?" she shouted at him as she struggled to stay above water for the second time that night.

He glared down at her one last time, his eyes showing a flash of pain before they seemed to disappear in the shadows of his face. "When you've gotten over your commitment or abandonment issues or whatever the hell your problem is…and you want to talk, you know how to get in touch with me. I'm tired of tiptoeing around you in hopes that some day you might not be so 'terrified' of me. You're 'terrified' of yourself and afraid to let yourself love anyone more than just a 'friend'. Take care. See ya around some time." He turned then and stormed off the dock, heading to the cabin.

The moon wasn't cooperating with her either and clouds had moved in to block out what little light it was offering. She searched in the dark waters for the start of the ladder. After the second attempt to find that first rung, she gave up and swam over to the shore and walked herself out of the water. The nights at this elevation were cooler and the wind picked up to blow against her wet clothes, making her shiver as she headed back to the cabin. By the time she arrived at the porch, Sam was long gone, his hiking pack missing from the front of the cabin where he'd put it earlier.

She was so furious at the moment with him and herself that the best she could manage was to go inside, slam the door behind her and lock it for the night. She turned off lights as she made her way to the bathroom to draw a hot bath. MacGyver had told her about the solar water heater they'd installed and she should have a fresh batch of hot water for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

By the time she made it to bed, she was well on her way to having a headache and by morning, her whole body ached. As if adding insult to injury, she spent the next three days curled up in bed or soaking in a hot bath to rid herself of a cold. By the fourth day she was starting to feel better though she kept feeling that she'd never been lonelier in her life. She began looking through all of the books in the cases one at a time. She opened them to examine the contents, flipping through the pages looking for anything left behind that might give her clues to her heritage.

She found several very old pressed flowers, two faded tin type photographs with names and dates and a letter from her great-grandfather to her great-grandmother. It was in that letter that she learned where the art collection had come from. He had collected it those many years ago as he had toured Europe, determined to find the best way to show his love for the woman he had married. Several of the paintings had been saved from houses that were destroyed during WWI. When a family fled with nothing but the money they could get, he found some willing to sell these paintings to be able to make their escape complete. Some people sold them to him, explaining they hoped to buy it back from him when the war was over, but out of all the paintings he'd saved and purchased, only one family every returned to claim their painting. Her great-grandfather mentioned in his letter that he had been so happy that at least someone had returned that he insisted they take it back with no repayment needed.

She carefully tucked the letter back into the book for safe keeping before continuing her search. It took another few hours before she came across a set of ten old medical texts from the 1940's. The covers were worn, the gold work faded on the outside. She began flipping through them only to find that five were not what they seemed. The first twenty pages or so were the original book. But inside of that, the pages had been glued together and the center cut out to make a 'book safe'. Inside each 'book safe' was a leather bound journal, secured inside so not to fall out upon casual handling.

After pulling each of the five journals out, she sat down on the couch and opened the one that looked like the oldest. After reading the first few pages, her hands shook with excitement and emotion. These were her father's personal journals starting about the time he was twelve. The inside of that first journal was an inscription from Dominic Santini to her father about using the journal to record what he felt.

It took her most of the night to read through the first journal. He had beautiful handwriting, even at the age of twelve, but the journal spanned his time of childhood through the age of seventeen. He wasn't a faithful writer but when something obviously was troubling him, he wrote it down. She learned quite a bit about her Uncle in those pages, who was older than String. She had to keep putting the journal down every so often because the passages were full of emotions or anger at something he felt unfair. At times, it was hard for her to deal with what she was learning. It was in this journal that she'd pieced together that her grand parents had died when String was twelve in a boating accident. He had survived the ordeal.

Towards the end of the journal, he wrote about his issues and feelings with Sinjin going off to Vietnam. Dom wouldn't let him leave to follow his brother until he'd graduated from high school. He talked about a Teresa he had been dating for some time and how he'd thought about asking her to marry him after they graduated. He'd signed up to go into the Army right after high school but he still wanted to marry her before he left for boot camp.

The following entry was the final one in the book and after reading it, she felt like she wanted to go and throw herself off the top of the nearest mountain. Teresa had been killed a few weeks before the journal entry in a car wreck. They'd been hit by a drunk driver on the way back from a date and String had survived. She didn't. He was writing this last entry before he went off to boot camp, following in Sinjin's footsteps. He wrote that he'd hoped he wouldn't return from the war so that he wouldn't have to bear loosing anyone else. He wrote that he felt cursed, able to survive while those he loved were lost.

It ended there and she quickly tied it shut with the laces attached to the binding and tucked it back into the medical book. She didn't want to read it again, didn't want to look at it. The rest of the day she paced the floors of the cabin while it rained heavily outside. Her mind kept going back to what Sam had said to her. She spent time going over every painting, looking at it, turning it over then looking at it again, trying to calm her mind that seemed to be in turmoil.

She went down into the fallout shelter but it was now empty except for the crates that the paintings had been housed in and the wooden crates the books and china had been packed in. It was dry down there but dark and the scent of old paper and tarnished silver still lingered in the air. Otherwise the room was bare of any other features but four cement walls, giving her nothing to occupy her mind with at the time.

When Rachelle came to pick her up by the end of the next day, Red was more quiet than usual and she let Rachelle fly them back to the pubic airport near Edwards. She said good-bye and told Rachelle to keep up the great work with the business and that she'd be in touch in a few days to see how things were going. Rachelle stared after the retreating form while she tried to puzzle out what had happened that had suddenly changed her demeanor back to the cold, calm and indifferent person that she remembered meeting almost five months ago. Perhaps something happened between her and Sam or something had gone wrong while she was up there all by herself. Her first call would have to be to MacGyver to see if he'd heard from Sam and if he had any idea what was going on.

She shivered a little as she took off, feeling as if someone had stepped on her grave. She didn't know why but the gloomy day seemed to wash all color out of the world. Erica would be disappointed that Red hadn't wanted to stop by the hanger before going back to Edwards. But what bothered her all the way home was that she kept feeling as though this might have been the last time she saw Red.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Three months of flight simulations had managed to take the edge off of her emotions somewhat. It made her temporarily forget the last words Sam had shouted back at her. This was still another level of hell but at least this time, Doctor Ichi was willing to be a bit more reasonable on his demands for her time. She had a little more time to focus on issues that needed her attention with the business, but it also gave her some time to read the rest of her father's journals. Unfortunately it was very slow going to start because halfway through his entries in the second book it all switched over to a strange code. The hardest part was trying to figure out a cipher for it.

What he had recorded down was top-level classified information on missions he'd been sent on during Vietnam. Then he wrote about testing a high-tech, top- secret aircraft called Airwolf for a company called RedStar. He was one of two test pilots for it and though he also did a few missions for 'The Firm', he stopped working for them in 1982. By 1983, he was sent to Libya to reclaim Airwolf from Kaddafi's troops. The 'reward' for his service was information on Sinjin who was thought to still be in Vietnam as a POW. For his efforts, 'The Firm' was to bring him back alive or bring back his remains. When they didn't follow through, which he speculated they wouldn't, he hid Airwolf and thus the adventures and missions began.

Top secret, covert missions for 'The Firm'. But some of the things they did in Airwolf that weren't always spy related were such things as traversing the winds of a hurricane to get readings from inside and in the eye. They had also taken readings from near an active volcano that was about to blow for several scientists. They had flown several expeditions to map wilderness and use radar to count heat signatures from different wildlife. So in the end, it wasn't all for war or spying.

She had managed to get off base one afternoon to go see a movie and while waiting for the movie to start, she took a few minutes to make a call to MacGyver to let him know that she had something he might find of interest that she needed to get to him. She dropped a few hints that told him it was important and he wasn't to let anyone else know he'd gotten something from her. He had contacted her on base a few weeks later and said he was going to be in the local area and wanted to know if she was up for lunch.

She was to meet MacGyver this afternoon and hand over the journals. Of all the people she could trust to help do a little covert research without setting off any alarm bells elsewhere, it was him. Besides, he had some information for her about ResRadt that she'd asked him to research for her when he'd been up at the cabin on her birthday.

She had little less than a month to go until she was out of the Air Force and the prototype was almost ready to be given its first test flight. They had finished up the final computer install this week and after she'd run two more tests in the simulator yesterday, it was being prepped for first flight in two days.

She found Mac sitting out on the patio in the early October sun, sunglasses on, kicked back and looking as calm as ever. She walked up to him and plunked a wrapped present in blue paper down in front of him. "Happy belated Birthday," she said in a slight joking grumble. "I swear I'm going to get even with you but it won't be this year. Sorry I didn't send you a card." She stretched out a little after sitting down.

Mac looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. "I'd like to see you try," he joked. "Besides, the look on your face was priceless." He began unwrapping the present and lifted the lid on the box, the type usually used to store clothes in or that you get when you buy a new suit. He pulled off the lid to reveal a blue jacket like the Air Force wears during the cooler months, complete with patches and all.

"The last time you were at the cabin, you emailed me to tell me you forgot your coat and you were cold. So now you can have a second coat and be styling too!" she said with a smirk. He lifted it part way out of the box and admired it, catching a slight glimpse of four tissue wrapped bundles in the bottom.

"This is nice! Thank you. Can't wait to wear it to work next week when the temps are supposed to drop again. I'll be the envy of the office I should think," he teased lightly, giving a nod as if agreeing with himself. It told her he saw what was included in the box and he put the jacket down into the box and thanked her again, putting the stiff lid back over it before setting it in front of his feet under the table.

The rest of the lunch was amiable as they talked about new projects going on at the foundation and if he'd talked to Rachelle or Erica lately. As they were about to part, he grinned and pulled a hardback book out of his briefcase. "Here's a little something for you to help keep you out of trouble for the last few weeks. I know you've been waiting for the next edition to come out but I pulled a few strings and got a first run print a week before they put them on the shelf.

It was unspoken about what she'd find inside but she laughed aloud, "You and you're damned favors. This is fantastic! And I've got the tonight and tomorrow off so I can at least get half way through it before I have to report for first flight on Thursday," she said, sounding excited. She leaned forward and gave him a bit of a hug. "Hope you're the talk of the office with that jacket," she commented as they were ready to part ways.

He gave a slight chuckle and pointed to the book, "You don't know who you got it from or that it wasn't out in stores yet, right?" he joked with her right back. He waved as she nodded and they went their separate ways.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Upon arriving at base, she went back to her quarters where she sat down on her bed and opened the book. Inside were two envelopes. One was addressed to her with a handwriting that looked like something from Erica. She opened it first and pulled several sheets of paper out of the envelope and unfolded the letter. She was expecting something from Erica since it was her writing that was on the envelope but the letter itself was from Sam. She seemed hesitant to read it, remembering the last time they'd spoken, or rather, shouted at each other.

'Dear Red, I hope this letter finds you well. Only a few more weeks and you'll be home free and onto civilian life. I hope you've managed to dry out from our last encounter. I'm sorry about throwing you in the lake. I guess I was upset and I overreacted a little. I hope you can forgive me. I wanted to let you know that though I called you a coward for not letting me know what your feelings were, I'm the coward for not telling you how I felt sooner. Since the day we first met, I knew I wanted to get to know you better. I felt drawn to you somehow. But you always seemed scared around me so I didn't want to push it, afraid I would drive us farther apart then we already were. That night at your cabin when I realized that I had been reading everything wrong and had been keeping my distance out of respect for your fear for eleven years, I got angry at you and at myself. I hope you can forgive me. When you get home for good, let's sit down and talk. I don't know if I can go another eleven years being apart from you. I don't want to loose you again. Sam'

Her hands were shaking by the time she finished reading the letter. She quickly folded the letter up and put it in the back of the book. She took a steadying breath and took up the other envelope. She opened it and pulled out the sheet of paper. It had four simple sentences typed out on an inkjet printer.

'ResRadt is a front company once known as RedStar. Your father did test flights for them with top-secret aircraft. RedStar is in turn a front for a top covert ops company called 'The Firm'. Keep your nose clean and leave no trace.'

She set the book down on the bed with the other letter and stood, taking the envelope and the letter towards the small bathroom attached to her quarters. She went in and shut the door, pulling out a lighter from the cabinet above the sink. She put a small clay bowl in the bottom of the sink and tore the letter and envelope up into tiny pieces before placing them in the bowl. She put in a dash of essence oil to make it burn quickly and lit one piece before dropping it into the bowl. She watched as it caught fire, poking the littlest pieces into the fire and letting it burn. Once the fire had quickly consumed the paper, she ran the contents of the bowl under running water, dousing any smoke or embers before flushing the contents down the toilet. She wiped the bowl out with a piece of tissue and flushed that as well before putting the bowl back under the sink that held small pieces of soap and the lighter back in the cabinet.

She left the bathroom and headed down to the mess hall for a bite of supper. A trip to the hanger, where Doctor Ichi's crew were putting the final tests on the plane for it's first flight on Thursday, gave her the confidence that all would go well. As she headed back to the barracks, one of the techs ran up to her with a clipboard. "Major MacPhearson. We need you to review these papers before Thursday. Could you initial off on them when you're done and bring them back before your flight?" she asked, looking harried and exhausted.

Red took the clipboard with a nod and left the hanger. She sat on her bed for a little while, looking over the papers after taking them off the clipboard. After a few minutes, she seemed to have a hard time focusing on what she was reading. She shook her head a little, trying to clear her vision but it did nothing to ease the feeling of extreme fatigue. It wasn't that late yet but perhaps a good night's sleep was what she needed. She had nothing to do tomorrow but read her book and go for a bit of exercise.

She hardly managed to convince herself just to lay down when the clipboard slipped from her fingers back to the bed, the papers falling from her other hand and slithered out across the floor. She needed rest, just to lay back and sleep. That was all she had to do.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

She woke with a jolt as the alarm clock next to her bed went off. She sat up in bed, the new book she'd gotten from MacGyver hitting the floor with a loud thud. She was in bed, in her sweatpants and t-shirt she normally wore at night. She was drenched in sweat as if having experienced a nightmare of the wildest kind. Her body shook with fear for some reason but she couldn't put her finger on what caused it. She struggled to remember something but for the life of her she couldn't remember what it was. She looked at the book, seeing it bookmarked with the letter that had been in the book. It seemed as though she'd finished her book but she couldn't remember a thing about it.

Part of her knew it was Thursday but she felt as if there was a huge hole in the last day of activity. She couldn't seem to put a finger on what was bothering her, but the alarm clock was blaring and she needed to get out of bed and ready for the day. She had the weirdest dreams the last two nights but for the life of her, she couldn't remember what the hell they were about. She hit the off button on the alarm and crawled out of bed. In ten minutes she had her room straightened, bed made, showered, dressed in her flight suit and heading out the door with the clipboard of documents she'd reviewed two nights ago, all signed and ready for the day.

She hurried down to the mess hall where she grabbed a light breakfast and some water. She didn't want to overdue it because who knew what sort of flying she'd get into today if everything went well. A simulator was a great many things but at times it just couldn't substitute for the real thing.

She headed to the hanger where the new jet body and engine had been assembled. The program had been uploaded to the system three days ago and they'd been running diagnostics on it since then. Everyone seemed about as excited as she felt, which boded well for the alertness of everyone, hopefully. It would take an hour to prep her for the medical readouts as to her reaction time, her heart rate, brain function and blood pressure. This wasn't anything new since she'd been doing this sort of thing since starting in the simulator but this was the first time up in the real thing.

Once she'd settled and they got a baseline on her, her heart rate checked and everything was a go, she climbed into the cockpit and found to her pleasure that the seat fit very well to her and made relaxing in it much easier. Once monitors were brought up, systems were online and the medical readouts were sending signals back to the recording equipment, they were ready to pull the jet out onto the tarmac.

Within an hour, all systems double-checked and triple checked, she flipped the switch to fire the engines. The mic popped on as she sat for a moment, letting the engines warm up. All of the mechanics had been tested in other planes but never together at one time. She could feel the rumble of the jets from behind and feel their vibration in her breastbone. This is what she lived for.

Clearance was given and she taxied out to the takeoff point. Once she was swung around in the right direction, she waited for her green light. The lights flipped to signal her pathway clear and she began rolling down the runway, picking up speed quickly and finally hitting the jet thrust and she took off for the sky. She had been instructed to run through the basic flight maneuvers one at a time. As they were called off over the intercom, she executed each one with expert perfection.

The morning progressed smoothly and the jet performed beautifully. The program wasn't there to fly for her but it helped to monitor everything from her to the plane itself and interact between the two. It also was programmed to help land the plane or eject the pilot in the case that a pilot became disabled or the jet was hit in battle. They weren't quite willing to test that theory just yet. By noon, Red was instructed to bring it in for a few hours so she could get a bite to eat and the jet could have its data downloaded before she took it up for a more aggressive afternoon flight.

With a perfect landing, she taxied the jet back up the runway until she shut it down and it was towed into the hanger. Once there, she was disconnected from the monitors and climbed out of the cockpit. Doctor Ichi looked like a starved child in a candy store, not sure what to ask first. She held up her hands with a smile. "From where I was sitting, it's a smooth ride and performs beautifully. I sit in reserve judgment until this afternoon when we put it through a bit more rigorous test."

Doctor Ichi nodded and was quickly combing over the data that was being downloaded. Grabbing a quick ride back to the barracks, she took a few minutes to freshen up and head over to the mess hall. Lunch was a little more robust then breakfast but she still kept to light things that wouldn't make her get sick while pulling several G's. An hour later, she was back to the hanger, waiting for them to give her the green light to go back up.

By 1400 hours, Doctor Ichi was ready for the next round of data. With a slight sigh and a roll of the eyes, Red let herself be hooked up again to the testing devices for readouts. As she was climbing into the cockpit, one of the techs rushed over to her with a new set of gloves, "Major MacPhearson…Major. The gloves you had on this morning weren't monitoring as well as they should. We have a new set hooked up to test just in case there's a glitch in the old ones."

Red settled in the jet and looked at the tech that was on the ladder, holding out the new pair. "Yeah, sure," she said without much commitment. She pulled the other gloves off and handed them to the tech. She took the other ones being offered and slid them on. Her nose picked up a slight hint of something that smelled different about them but she flexed them on her hands a few times. "Are these picking up the readouts now?" she asked as she watched the tech turn his head and nodded to someone.

He looked back at her, "We've got a thumbs up. You're ready to go," he said with a smile and quickly climbed back down the ladder and headed to his station. Her canopy was shut and she was towed back out to the runway. Since they had it slated for all afternoon, there was no traffic to wait for. The green light was given and she fired the jet up, taxing out to the tarmac and headed back into the air, like an anxious bird, waiting to be airborne again.

Doctor Ichi's voice came over the headset, "Major, we want you to run through the basic flight maneuvers one more time and then we wish you to give it a good workout. Please do not push it too far today. We will have time for that later. But we do wish to see how it performs at the next level up."

"Roger," came her voice back over the headset. She shifted the stick to begin the simple evasive maneuvers as planned. Her vision blurred for a moment and she blinked her eyes quickly to clear it. She looked at her instruments and corrected her course slightly. She did a loop up and over to point the jet back towards the runway as she went into the next set of planned tests, but she over compensated and the jet seemed to wobble heavily before she corrected it.

Doctor Ichi's voice came back over the headset, "Major? Are you all right? Your heart rate and blood pressure monitors show they are both dropping."

Red's eyes seemed to blur again, realizing that Ichi's voice seemed slurred and slower than usual. "I… I better land," she said. She wasn't a macho type pilot. She knew that if she wasn't feeling well or something was wrong, it was best to land quickly to avoid crashing.

Doctor Ichi's voice echoed in her ears, "Major! Pull up. You must land now. Major!"

She couldn't seem to focus on his words as the world tilted. She could hear someone shouting into the headset, "EJECT MAJOR! EJECT! Why isn't the program working? EJECT!"

The she tried to reach the button on her seat that would do a manual eject but it seemed to be inoperative. She tried to speak into the receiver, "Caaaann…ttt. Nnnnooottt …woorrr …kinggg." Her voice was sluggish and slurred. Part of her brain was telling her that she was going to crash or fly into the control tower, but she couldn't make her hands seem to work any more as the jet slipped sideways. She struggled to stay conscious half wondering what the hell was happening to her.

It was the last thought as the blackness claimed her, her body relaxed as her hands dropped away from the stick. She wasn't conscious as the jet impacted the ground. It had landed almost flat on its belly but then a wing twisted, sending the wreckage tumbling over and over again until it came to a mangled stop a mile out from the hanger.

The silence that followed was deafening.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

MacGyver sat in his office, going over the recent survey data on several sites they were hired to help consider minimal environmental impact on the building of a plastic reclamation plant. Sam was supposed to be bringing in an early supper today since he was in this part of town. He hadn't even had a chance to leave the office yet for lunch and it might be a long night to get this done.

MacGyver was a little worried about Sam lately. He seemed distracted and edgy about something. He wouldn't talk about it but he got a feeling it had something to do with Red. Rachelle had mentioned her observation of a similar behavior from Red on the way back after her vacation. She even mentioned that Red had let her fly her back to the airfield, hardly saying a word about anything. Rachelle knew Red could be closed in sometimes but she said she'd not seen her act like that since the first day they'd met.

So MacGyver started poking Sam for answers about what happened between the two of them. The most he got out of his son was that he didn't want to talk about it. Sam was never this closed about anything. So MacGyver could only guess that there had been a confrontation between the two. He knew that Sam had always had a little bit of a crush on Red and though he was a guy, he picked up on a few of the signs that Red felt the same way about Sam too. The nervous way she talked, how she wouldn't look at him, sweaty palms…it was all there if you knew what to look for.

He realized suddenly that he'd been reading the same data over twice now before he caught himself. He had to focus on this or he wouldn't be able to give a well educated, thought out recommendation. He heard a knock on the door and Sam entered, holding two white paper bags. "Hey dad," he said as she came over to the desk and handed one over. MacGyver closed the file and set it aside. He glanced at the leather bound journal that was tied shut on the edge of the desk as he dropped the file on top of it. It was the fifth one and he had finished reading it last night. He still had quite a bit of research to do on what was written in the four he'd received.

Red had risked a great deal to get those to him and if what Hawke's journals said were true, there was a company out there that could do just about anything and possibly get away with it. This made him shiver a little as if someone had stepped on his grave but he wasn't going to over react to what he read until he could verify information. He opened the paper bag as Sam settled across from him, moving a few things on the desk aside so he would have a place to lay out his own food.

They talked about nothing important for a few minutes until Sam gave a little shudder and looked around. MacGyver had caught the look, "Something wrong?" he asked, "Office too cold for you or something?" he tried to tease but even as the words came out of his mouth they seemed ominous.

Sam shook his head, "I don't know. Just…one of those 'little death' shivers you get once in a while as if something bad happened but you don't know what. Mom always said it was the sign that bad news was coming." He shrugged, "That is, if you believe in that type of stuff." He tried to joke to chase off the chill that still seemed to cling to his skin.

They were silent for a few more minutes as they ate the rest of their meal. As Sam began to bag up the wrappers, MacGyver's intercom rang. "Mr. MacGyver?" came the hesitant voice of his secretary.

"Yes Judy?" he replied, hitting the speaker button.

"You have a call from a Doctor Ichi. He said it's an urgent matter and that he speak only to you," she said, still sounding quite nervous. "He wishes to know if you can secure the line," she finished before MacGyver could answer her.

"Send it through Judy," he said, looking at Sam a bit nervously.

The phone on his desk rang and Mac picked it up, "This is MacGyver."

The accented voice of someone that was Asian or Japanese came back through the line, "I do not mean to bother you Mr. MacGyver, but do you know if this line is secure?" he asked nervously.

MacGyver checked the box on the desk that showed a green light, "It's secure. How can I help you?"

The man was quiet for a moment, "My name is Doctor Nacamura Ichi and I've been doing research and development on a flight program for a prototype jet. The research is being funded by ResRadt with assistance from the US Military. Major Cheyenne MacPhearson was our test pilot for the program." His voice was becoming more nervous and higher in pitch as he spoke.

MacGyver picked up the little nuance, "What do you mean 'was'?" he asked.

Doctor Ichi was silent again and took a shaky breath. "She told me that if something happened to her that I was to contact you at this number."

MacGyver's face drained of color as Sam suddenly stopped his fiddling with a pen. "What's up?" he whispered across the desk to his dad. His dad simply held up a hand for silence.

The doctor sounded as if he wanted to weep, "Today was the first actual test of the jet. This morning's flight and maneuvers went very well. This afternoon, she hadn't been in the air more than a few minutes when her heart rate and blood pressure began to drop, her brain activity showed that she was slipping into a deep REM cycle though she was obviously trying to fight it. The jet crashed at 1435 hours and she has been seriously injured."

MacGyver felt his hands go numb, "What base hospital did they take her to? How badly is she hurt? Why are you calling me instead of a military official?" he blurted out the questions quickly, frantic for any information. He saw Sam sink down into his chair, his face draining as if fearing the worst. His dad didn't have to tell him who was being called about. It was obvious by the look of panic on his fathers face and the words 'base hospital'.

Doctor Ichi sounded frantic himself, "She is at the one in Fort Worth. She spoke often of you. I am calling you because the others refused to contact her 'next of kin' and they took my data from the second flight. The program worked this morning but it…it seemed to stop working at the moment her vitals began to drop. Even her ejection seat seemed to malfunction. I'm afraid for her and that is why I'm calling you. Something is wrong…She was found alive in the wreckage but there was an almost sense of … disappointment from the officials that she had survived," he said, whispering now into the phone, his speech pattern rushed. "I must go."

MacGyvers phone went dead, giving him a dial tone. Without even looking at Sam, he flipped through his rolodex and began making phone calls to contacts, pulling in favors and promising to owe some in return. Sam simply paced the far edge of the office, listening to the calls his dad made to first get information on Red, then to get her transferred as quickly as possible to Edwards where they could monitor her directly.

After two hours of calling, talking, calling back and making promises, MacGyver hung up the phone from his final call. He looked utterly drained as Sam came over to sit down across from him. He didn't have to ask the obvious questions so he simply waited for his dad to fill in the blanks.

MacGyver was quiet for a long moment, "This afternoon…Red was in a crash. Doctor Ichi is probably in deep trouble or soon will be for the risk he took to call me and let me know the information he did. When they got to the wreckage, she was still alive but in serious condition. She is at the base hospital in Fort Worth, well into her third hour of surgery. Ichi thinks that something was wrong with the whole flight that afternoon. He said they took his data from the second run this afternoon and that the program seemed to stop working when her vitals they began to drop just before the crash. He also stated that the ejection seat seemed not to be working and that he got the feeling that something was wrong about it all. That those in charge appeared almost disappointed that she'd survived." He paused for a moment to rub his forehead.

"I managed to get word to several top level people in the military and they have put a tight guard on her. As soon as they have her stabilized and when it's safe to move her, they are going to transport her to Edwards here in California where we can assign our own security detail to her." He didn't speak though what he was feeling. He was afraid that if someone really was behind this accident, it could be very easy to let her die in her condition and no one the wiser. There were many holes in the puzzle, but he had to do his best to find those missing pieces.

Sam just swallowed and nodded, looking worried. MacGyver picked up the phone for a final call that he really didn't want to make. The other line rang twice before a female voice answered. "Erica. It's MacGyver. Is your mother there? I need to talk to her," he said into the receiver.

MacGyver turned to look out the window as the rest of the world went whizzing by on the street below. The sun was beginning to set and it caused dark shadows to stretch across the walls of his office as if the long fingers of death were reaching for whatever it could touch.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Her mind seemed to float in a dark pool of nothingness for the longest time. She could sense others around her and sense something was wrong but her mind was not willing to connect her back to her body for some reason. Time had no meaning in this place as flashes of faces', sounds and voices came and went. That dark world seemed to lighten for a moment, only to send her spiraling back into the black abyss where she came from.

She could hear music…a cello being played in a piece by Bach, slow and majestic. In what seemed like a moment, it was a tune by Handle, then one by Beethoven. It wasn't loud but it was constant, pulling her father away from the darkness and towards the living world. She thought for a moment she could sense her body, feel the aches and pain. She tried to keep herself from fleeing back to the darkness but she would slide back under it as if it were a large blanket, protecting her, hiding her from the rest of the world.

She would float in that place between the two worlds of light and dark for some time, listening to the strains of violins, woodwinds and brass. She heard a few voices of people that she couldn't recognize, talking about her but why or what about, she couldn't seem to grasp.

She heard an announcer's voice on a radio, the room now silent of voices except his as he introduced the next piece. Her instincts told her she'd been alone for some time and she felt herself drawn back to connect her consciousness to her living body. With a sudden overwhelming flash of pain, dulled soon to aches and cramps, her mind began to engage a little more, piecing together the fact that she was in a hospital. Her body was sore from head to toe. Dull aches seemed to resonate from one place only to be overcome by another ache or shot of pain somewhere else.

She slowly opened her eyes to the dark room, the lights dimmed for the night. There was a small radio set to the classical station, next to her bed. She saw this from the corner of her eye as she tilted her head slightly to the left. She used her eyes to look around the room for a moment, letting her brain slowly comprehend her situation. She wanted to move her arms and legs but it was if her brain refused to comprehend such a task at the moment. But after a few agonizing moments and a panicked thought that she might be paralyzed, she felt her toes flex and several fingers twitch. It was enough for her to feel the relief that she still had some control over her body.

She felt herself drifting back into the darkness but she somehow knew she wouldn't disappear into the blackness again. She had pulled through whatever had happened to her. Now she only needed rest and tomorrow would be a new day to find out more.

The nurse came in for the 0700 hour IV drip bag change. The woman in the bed had been here for over four months in a coma. The doctors weren't even sure if she'd ever wake up from it even though her brain activity was showing she was still 'home'. It was one of those rare cases when a patient couldn't seem to 'find' their way back to the real world though there was brain activity to show that they weren't clinically 'brain dead'.

She checked the machines to make sure everything was working properly and then changed out the fluid bag that would keep the Major hydrated. She recorded the indicators of the monitor read outs for the shift change and went to take the woman's heart rate. Her fingers rested against her wrist as she watched her stop watch for the seconds to tick off as she counted the beats. She released the wrist and went to pick up the clipboard she'd set at the edge of the bed when movement caught her attention. She looked back at the woman to see her fingers twitch. Maybe it was her imagination but she stood there for a moment, waiting to see if they'd move again.

They were still for a moment but then they curled slowly into a fist and released. She looked up at the woman's face to see her eyes were barely open, her hand lying limp alongside of her body again. Those blue eyes simply tried to focus on her from under half closed lids. The nurse stepped closer, "Major?" she asked softly. She wanted to verify that these actions weren't just reflexes of the body. They'd seen patients over the past number of years that would react to certain things but still be unconscious or in a coma.

The Major's lips moved a little as she tried to speak. What came out was more a whisper than a spoken word. The nurse leaned forward, "Say that again Major, please?" she asked in a gentle voice.

The woman seemed to still be dazed or exhausted just from the effort of waking. But the second time she spoke, the word was much clearer. "Where?"

The nurse felt the excitement of having someone finally wake in her ward. She swallowed, trying to calm her enthusiasm. "You're at Edwards Base Hospital, Major. You've been in a coma for over four months. We were starting to give up hope." Her words were still gentle, trying to minimize the mental shock to the patient.

Red's lips moved again, a single word uttered like a sigh. "How?"

The nurse blinked as she realized that the mMajor might not have any remembrance of the crash. "Your jet crashed in Texas. Once they got you stabilized, they flew you out here. You were badly hurt Major. Do you remember anything?" she asked, hoping that she could get the woman to start thinking and possibly a bit more awake.

Red was silent for the longest time, her eyes slowly taking in the room around her and the nurse. She wanted to close her eyes again and go back to sleep but some instinct told her to fight it. Her mind worked to remember what happened but the last she could remember was that they were preparing the prototype jet but it was still two days away from the actual first flight. Flashes of small pieces of events came to her but they had no meaning, no sequence.

"No," was all Red could say. She needed to conserve what energy she had at the moment.

The nurse nodded and patted her hand. "Rest for now. You're safe and on the mend. I'll let the doctor know that you're finally awake." She moved towards the door, turning slightly to look over her shoulder at the woman. Those blue eyes watched her, showing no trust in anything. It made the nurse shiver a little at the penetrating stare from under those half lids. She turned and left, knowing the protocol as to informing the appropriate parties that the major was finally awake.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As the nurse left, Red noticed the form of a guard standing just outside the door. She felt her body tense, her muscles trying to work but if she'd been in a coma and even with treatment, her muscles weren't up to moving her just yet. She clenched her fingers into a fist again, releasing it as she worked to get her other hand moving to do the same. Her brain tried to work out why she was under guard. Had she done something wrong and they were afraid she'd run if she woke? Or was she under guard to protect her from something or someone?

Her mind buzzed around in circles trying desperately to figure it out. She finally took a deep breath, trying to calm herself or she'd use up what little energy she had. It seemed like an eternity before anyone came back into the room but the next person was obviously a doctor, followed by the nurse. She watched both of them, feeling that she shouldn't trust anyone until she got some answers.

The doctor came over to her bed and started to check the monitors and her vitals. She had to endure having the penlight flashed in her eyes one at a time and then he looked down at her. "I'm Dr. Larry O'Shea. I've been the doctor in charge of your case since they brought you up from the Fort Worth Base Hospital," he stated as he moved over to the other side of her bed so the nurse could finish her work. "Think you could handle some news?" he asked Red, keeping his voice calm and level.

Red knew that she needed to know the extent of her injuries. With a slight nod to the doc, she heard him exhale a little. "Major, I'd like to say that you'd be up and back to your old self in no time but the truth of the matter is that you have a long recovery ahead of you."

"You've been in a coma for over four months. Your first surgery took sixteen hours to repair the worst damage from the accident and get you stabilized. We've had you into surgery six more times to repair other issues that couldn't be taken care of the first time around. Both arms were broken in multiple places. You had multiple fractures and breaks in seventeen other bones in your body. Some of the bones were shattered and have been replaced with titanium rods or plates. Your right leg was broken in two places, the bone shattered between the two breaks. The leg bone has been replaced with a surgical steel rod that seems to have been accepted by your body," he said, taking a moment to pause. The Major's eyes hadn't changed in their attention to him, their coldness seeming to go right through him.

"You had some internal bleeding in a few places that has finally stopped. The burns to your left side and back have been treated with skin graphs in the worst areas. You have lacerations in several places that cut into a few muscle groups we've stitched them together so that the muscles would mend with less difficulty." Dr O'Shea grew quiet for a moment, "I won't candy coat it major. You've got a long road to recovery and full health but with your will power and with how well your body has healed these past four months, I think you'll recover fairly quickly. But it won't be easy," he said, giving Red an honest look.

Red's eyes moved over towards the nurse for a moment then back up at the doctor. She gave a very slight nod to her head to indicate she understood. What little energy she had kept in reserve was now spent. She felt her eyes close though she tried to fight it. Soon she found herself drifting back to sleep, hearing the voice of the doctor and the nurse conversing quietly about her condition

When she managed to drag herself up out the darkness of sleep, she heard someone turn the page of a book before she managed to open her eyes. Someone was in the room with her, sitting to her left. She slowly opened her eyes and looked in that direction. MacGyver sat in a chair he'd pulled up next to her bed. He sat facing her with a book in his lap, one elbow on the arm of the chair, holding his head up with his hand as he read.

She watched him for a few moments, taking in the details of someone who had been there for her when she needed it the most. He had been there all those years ago and was here again. She finally spoke to get his attention. "Hi handsome," she said, her voice coming out more of a hoarse whisper. She had to smile a little at his reaction to hearing her speak.

He almost leapt out of the chair, startled. Yet the excitement that showed on his face made her feel some comfort. He stood up and came to the edge of her bed, looking down at her. "Hi yourself," he replied with that charming smile of his. "How you feeling?"

She blinked slowly, everything seeming to move in slow motion with her. "Sore. Tired," she said in simple enough terms to get her meaning across.

He looked at her with concern, "Want me to call the nurse?" he asked.

She moved her head a little from side to side, "No. I'm ok." She offered a tired smile up at him as she shifted a little. "How long?" she asked as if trying to figure out a few things. She could remember what the doctor said to her earlier about her injuries, but she trusted MacGyver more than she'd trust the word of some strange doctor.

MacGyver pulled up his chair and sat down right next to her bed. "The crash was on October 27th. It's now March 20th." He watched her for a moment, letting her slowly absorb the time frame that he'd just laid out.

Red lifted a hand slowly and moved it toward him and he took the invitation and took her hand in his. She nodded a little. "Favor please?" she asked.

He nodded, "Sure hon. You name it."

She was quiet for a long moment, her eyes closing as if she'd fallen asleep again. But she finally opened them, "Go to the cabin tomorrow. West ridge on the east side of the lake. On the top of the ridge…," she said, taking in a slow breath, "….is the family cemetery. Put flowers on Hawke's grave for me." She swallowed back the lump in her throat and worked around the dryness in her throat.

MacGyver relaxed a little at her request. Her memories hadn't suffered and she seemed quite capable to remember things. March 21st was the anniversary of her real father's death. He had been to the cemetery once. Her great grandparents, grandparents, father, uncle, cousin and Dominic Santini were all buried there. He was just thankful he wasn't going to have to add another person to the small cemetery. It was the last thing he wanted to think about. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I'll take Sam with me tomorrow and we'll clean up the cemetery for the year and make sure that all's in order and leave flowers for him." He leaned forward and kissed her fingers.

Her eyes seemed to focus a little for a moment, "How's Sam?" she asked.

MacGyver had had his suspicions about there being something between Sam and Red, but he didn't want to push it. After Red had been home over the summer for a week of vacation, something had happened between the two of them that Sam wasn't willing to talk about but he was a bundle of nerves half the time when anyone brought up the subject of Red. When the news of the crash came, Sam became a nervous wreck. He tried not to ask questions but he seemed to hang off every word in regards to her condition.

MacGyver smiled at Red. "He's fine other than being a bundle of twisted nerves."

She was quiet for a moment, "Why?" was all she asked.

MacGyver cleared his throat, "Well, I think it has something to do with you," he stated, clearly watching for her reaction. "Unfortunately he doesn't have the clearance I do to come on base. When we got the news that you were awake, he just about pushed me out the door to get here to see you for myself. I get a feeling I'll be skillfully interrogated by not only him but also Rachelle and Erica when I get back to the hanger." He heard her heart monitor beat just a little faster and there was actually some color to her face as she blushed.

She seemed a little more alert, "Call him?" she asked almost in a whisper.

MacGyver chuckled and reached for the phone and nodded. He picked up the receiver and dialed the number to the hanger. The phone rang once and was answered by Rachelle. "Hi Rachelle. It's MacGyver. Is Sam there?" he asked, pausing as he heard the reply. "Can I talk to him for a minute?" While he waited for Sam to get to the phone, he looked over at Red, seeing some of that spark of life come back to her.

He heard his son answer the phone, "Hi Sam. Hey, can you hang on just a minute?" he asked, then put the phone up to Red's ear, her hand lifting sluggishly to hold to the base.

She swallowed, "Hi Sam," she whispered, her voice dry and still a bit tired sounding.

Sam had been handed the phone by Rachelle, mouthing 'It's your Dad.' He took the phone from her, "This is Sam," he said only to hear MacGyver ask him to hold on for a moment. He sighed inwardly. He wanted to ask him how Red was doing but he hadn't even got a chance before he was told to wait.

What surprised him was the voice he heard on the line soon after that, a voice he had been afraid he'd never hear again. He looked like he'd been struck by lightening. "Red!" he said aloud finally. "Oh my God. It's you!"

Before he could do so much as turn around, both Rachelle and Erica were at the desk with him, straining to hear what was said, Erica nearly bouncing like a rubber ball.

Red swallowed again, "Yeah...me. Your dad said you don't have clearance. So a phone call was…next best thing." She felt like she had molasses in her mouth and in her brain as her short burst of energy started to fade.

Sam noticed her slowness but also knew they must have her on pain killers or drugs that made her drowsy. "God Red, we've all been so worried." His mind was full of a thousand things he wanted to say to her but he couldn't seem to think of a single one to get his mouth to speak it.

There was a long pause, "Miss y'all. Sam…?" She paused for a moment.

"Yeah…?" he asked as if trying to get her to spit out what she was hesitating over.

"I'm sorry…," she said, her words held a hint of a slur and she seemed unable to express something.

He went to speak but heard MacGyver on the line then. "She just dropped back off to sleep Sam. I think she had more to say but we're lucky she was awake this long. I'll talk to the doctors to see how long they think it'll be till we can get her home."

Sam's shoulders sagged a little, "Its ok dad. We all hope it's soon," he stated, getting a nod from Rachelle and Erica. "Talk to you later."

As soon as Sam had hung up the phone, Rachelle and Erica converged on him to interrogate him, wanting every detail of their short discussion.

MacGyver had pulled the phone away as he saw her drop back to sleep. Her last words were 'I'm sorry' to Sam. He knew she wanted to say more but if she did well, she'd have a lot more time in the near future to talk to Sam. He talked to Sam for a moment and then hung up, putting the phone back on the nightstand. He sighed lightly and thought about all that had led up to her being here.

He wasn't going to fill her in on the details until she was out of the hospital. He didn't need her being paranoid while she was still here. He needed to get her out of here as soon as possible. And one way to get that to happen was to keep her from being edgy around everyone who came in here to read her vitals or get her up and moving.

He sat with her for another few hours but knew his time was almost up for the day. The nurse had been in twice to check on her before quietly leaving. Finally as the sun set on the last day of winter, he got up and stretched. He leaned over the bed and kissed her forehead. Tomorrow as the first full day of spring and hopefully a new start for her.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Sam and Rachelle had spent the weekend cleaning up the cabin, dusting, sweeping and making sure everything was put to rights. Sam chopped wood, hauled in enough for each fireplace and stove to keep Red well supplied for some time. It was getting warmer with each passing week but the nights were still cold. Erica in turn had spent multiple evenings after school preparing meals that could be frozen and reheated easily. She packaged and labeled them and the day before Red was due home, she sent them to the cabin with her mother on the final trip with supplies they'd purchased at the store.

Spring had come roaring in and the weather was still touchy even being this late in April. There was still some snow up on the mountain tops but the valleys were showing the new green of the season and the migrating birds had begun to fly back in to settle for the summer. Today was the day Red would be flown in via military chopper from Edwards, the last favor his father had pulled to make the transition from hospital to home as smooth as possible.

Sam had stayed up at the cabin over night getting things in order, waiting for Red to return. He worked to get a stack of wood built up on the deck near the door. It was a way of taking the edge off of his nerves at seeing Red again. The doctors had advised MacGyver that it was going to take many intense hours of physical therapy to get her back up to her former strength and endurance. Sam knew he wouldn't care what had happened to her or what it would take to get her back to her old self again. He vowed to be there for the duration, through the good and the bad. If it was one thing he knew about Red, it was that she was a proud person and hadn't ever wanted to be pitied or simpered over. But she was stubborn as well, sometimes not willing to ask for help when she needed it the most.

MacGyver had convinced Rachelle and Erica that it was probably best for the first few days home that Red be allowed peace and quiet to work out some things with Sam but to have some time to come to terms with everything that had happened since the crash six months ago.

The day had started out cloudy with a sharp wind from the north. By the time the sound of the heavy rotors of a military chopper could be heard coming into the valley, the rain had been falling for several hours, the wind picking up to blow a little harder as evening set in. Sam pulled on his coat on and flipped the lights on the dock to full capacity to mark the landing spot. He headed outside and down to the dock, arriving just as the Huey set down.

Sam shielded his eyes from the wind and stinging rain that the blades kicked up as he waited for Red to be off loaded. The door slid open finally and Sam stepped forward a few more steps, instinctively ducking to keep the whirling blades a little farther from his head. He saw a form in a military raincoat and a cane step from the back of the Huey. He moved forward and the Lieutenant in the back, handed out a heavy duty duffle bag. Sam took it with a nod and slung it over his shoulder.

He turned to the figure with a cane who stepped away from the Huey and saluted those inside. After being saluted in return, she turned to face Sam. He offered an arm which she hesitantly took as the door to the chopper was slid shut. Sam caught a quick look at the woman's face under the jacket hood and saw that Red looked thin and worn. He let her set the pace and when they'd cleared the area, the Huey took off and headed back towards the coast. The wind continued to moan through the trees as it brought in another round of thunderstorms.

Finally they reached the porch and Red stopped for a moment, rain hitting her face as she looked upward. Sam caught the look on her face that told him she wasn't sure if she should believe it to be real or not. Finally, with a little help from Sam, she made her way up the stairs and through the front door. Sam followed quickly behind her and shut the door, the damp cold having seeped in as the wind pulled some of the heat out. He locked the door behind him and drew the shade over the window.

It was silent in the cabin except for the pop of the wood in the fireplace, the rain hitting the windows and the low whispering sound of the pines around the cabin. There was a soft sigh from Red as she shoved back her hood. Sam was more shocked by her short hair than by the pink scar that ran from the back of her neck to disappear under her shirt collar. He hesitantly reached up and touched the ponytail holder that had held what was left of her long hair together. "They cut your hair," he said gently.

There was a slight hint of a blush to her sunken cheeks. "They had to apparently," she said as she stepped forward to be enveloped a bit more by the warmth of the fire. "Is this…real, Sam? Or am I dreaming?" she asked as she slowly unzipped the raincoat. Sam was there to help her out of it; more like a gentleman would be than someone wanting to be of help. She was dressed in jeans and a sweater but they looked to be a size or two too big for her. It was shocking to see her so thin.

"It's not a dream Red. It's real," he commented as he hung up her coat on the peg next to the door. She shifted the cane a little and walked over to a chair nearest to the fireplace. She slowly let herself down into it and sat there staring at the fire for the longest time, letting the warmth seep back into her. Sam watched her for a moment and then went to pour her a cup of hot water and brought her several different types of tea.

"Erica's been working her tail off to make you some great food. She's packed the freezer with precooked things she knows you like. I can heat something up for you if you're hungry," he offered, noticing that she didn't flinch from him as he brought her the makings of tea.

She looked up at him and took the cup of hot water, her hands shaking slightly and then after setting the cup down on the edge of the fireplace, she picked up a tea bag at random, opening the paper and putting the bag in the cup of hot water. Her hands were slow to manipulate the paper to get the tea bag out, slow to grip things and shook when she held onto the cup. "I…I really don't have much of an appetite right now. The chopper ride shook me up pretty hard with the turbulence," she said quietly, her eyes drifting over to look at the fire.

Sam nodded as he got up to put things back in the kitchen. He came back to sit at the fireplace, poking at one of the logs in the fire. He looked over at her, seeing the far away look in her eyes as she was thinking of other things. He remained quiet for most of the evening, picking up a book he'd started the night before. He had moved to sit on the couch where he could watch her from time to time. She slowly sipped at her cup of tea but the distant gaze of her eyes seemed to remain as she sat there.

Finally after an hour, he noticed that she was beginning to doze off. He closed his book and stood, causing her to jerk a little in surprise. It was a fight or flight reaction that had triggered though she was in no condition to do either. She looked up at him a bit spooked, but she seemed to remember where she was and relaxed some. He held out a hand, "Come on. Let's get you to bed. Sleeping in that chair isn't the best for anyone. I should know. I got a kink in my neck the last time I fell asleep in it," he said with a slight smirk.

She looked at the hand, then waved it away a little, taking up the cane and using it to lever herself out of the chair, wincing a little at the sudden shift in muscles and bones. She knew Sam wanted to help but he backed off when she'd waved him away, respecting her desire to be independent of help. But she took comfort to know that he wasn't far if she needed it.

As she stood there for a minute, letting her muscles adjust, she looked up at Sam for a long moment. He could feel her eyes on him, assessing him as he went to the fireplace to bank the coals for the night. By the time he'd turned around, she had begun to move off towards the stairs. Sam went about the cabin turning off lights and checking the weather outside.

When she had finally made her way slowly up the stairs, she found the fireplace had been stoked earlier and there was a warm bed of coals keeping the loft warm as the wind drove the rain harder against the windows. She found her bed turned back and a set of night clothes laid out on the pillow. She could hear Sam moving about downstairs in the kitchen so she changed into the sweatpants and long sleeved night shirt. She took a moment to smell the fresh air they had been dried with and the familiarity of them about her skin.

She slowly crawled into the bed, setting the cane on the floor. By the time Sam came up to check on her, he found her sound asleep. He pulled the covers around her and made sure she was comfortable. He watched her in the light the bed of coals gave off in the dark. She seemed much older than the last time he saw her, even when she was sound asleep. He gently reached forward and pushed the hair off her forehead, a gentle hand resting there to make sure she wasn't running a temperature or cold and clammy.

Sam got up and banked the fire, adding a few small pieces of wood and letting the coals burn through the night. He headed back downstairs to the spare bedroom where he'd put his things to stay for as long as she wanted him to. He stretched out the knots in his back, thinking back over the evening. It apparently was an improvement that she hadn't shied away from him. But she didn't show any partiality either, not that he expected her to having just gotten out of the hospital. He sighed softly but slid between the covers for the night, dozing off after some time of tossing and turning.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Sam was startled awake by the sound of a shout of anger. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes as he sat up, trying to figure out if it was a dream he was having or if the noise had come from somewhere else. He sat and strained his ears for a moment until he heard the frustrated growl of anger come from the direction of the loft. 'No! I don't know where it is…,' came Red's voice.

He quickly leapt out of bed and ran up the stairs two at a time, expecting to see someone questioning her. His brain was trying to wake up and tell him that he didn't think anyone had gotten in without him at least waking up. He heard her shout again, but this time in pain, "You can't do … this. I can't tell you what I don't know…!" she cried out in frustration.

He came to the top stair and skidded across the polished wood floor. There was no one in the loft with her but his brain telling him that there had to be. The other part of his brain knew that she must be dreaming of something that had happened to her in the past and she was reliving it like a nightmare. He carefully went over to her, finding that she had tossed and turned herself to the other side of the bed.

He knelt down on the open side of the bed, trying to use a gentle hand to wake her. "Red…Come on, wake up. You're having a nightmare," he said as he tried to rub her arm a little to stimulate her subconscious to wake her up.

She let out a scream of anger and swung at him, still sound asleep. 'I told you I don't know ANYTHING. Leave me alone!' she struggled to swing at him again.

Sam blinked again, blocking the swing. "RED!" he shouted a little louder, "Wake up! You're dreaming!" he yelled, trying to get her to snap out of it. Thankfully he saw her startle again, her eyes opening and looking around frantically. She was drenched in sweat, trembling as she laid back on the bed, Sam still holding to the arm that had swung at him. "Red. Are you ok? You were shouting in your sleep." He gently released her hand and climbed off the edge of the bed.

She trembled for a moment, "I will be." She was silent for a moment, a puzzled look on her face, "I...I can't even remember what I was dreaming about but I know it scared the hell out of me," she said in a small voice. She looked back up at him almost apologetically "I didn't mean to wake you."

Sam nodded, "It's all right. That's what I'm here for you know," he said with a smile, "Slayer of dragons and nightmares, chopper of wood and keeper of fireplaces."

He was rewarded with a small but tired smile from her. She had slowly sat up in bed as was working to adjust the sheets. He went over and stirred the coals a little, adding one more piece of wood on top, watching it catch and burn slowly. As he stood and turned, she saw that she had laid back down, her back towards him. He quietly went to head back downstairs when a soft voice stopped him.

"Sam?" she said tiredly.

"Yeah?" he replied, turning to face her direction.

"Are you really the slayer of dragons and nightmares?" she asked as if trying to find validity in the statement for some reason.

"So I've been told by Erica and you know that what they say about from the mouth of babes…," he said, letting the statement hang between them at the slight joke.

She was quiet for a long moment, "Please…. don't go Sam," she said tiredly as she laid there, looking towards the wall.

Sam was still, not sure exactly how she meant by 'don't go'. With a slight movement by her, she pulled the covers partially back. The invitation was obvious and so was the apparent meaning behind her statement.

"Are you sure?" he asked sincerely, not wanting to push his luck.

She turned her head slightly to look in his general direction, "I can't fight these nightmares by myself anymore," sounding so worn down by the events of the past six months.

He moved slowly towards the bed and when she didn't retract the invitation, he slid between the covers and pulled them over himself. He was a little nervous at first as to how close he should get to her. But she answered his question by shifting in bed and moving up against him, her back resting against his chest. He carefully wrapped an arm over her and pulled the rest of her body against him, feeling as if he were shielding her from something neither could comprehend at the moment. His forehead rested against the back of her head, his nose nuzzled gently against the nap of her neck.

She didn't object and with a simple shift to get comfortable, he felt her breathing deepen to that of sleep, showing the full extent of her trust in him and how exhausted she really was. He laid there for the longest time as he took in every nuance of her nestled against him like she was. He memorized the smell of her hair, the warmth of her body through her night clothes to the stillness of her sleep, only broken by the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Finally, he was no longer able to chase off sleep and it crept over him with a sense of rightness and he seemed surprised at how complete things felt at this very moment.

She woke slowly from the first dreamless sleep she'd had since MacGyver had come to visit her that first time. She didn't realize how restless she had been each night and how it had slowly drained her of her slight reserves of sanity. She felt the soft breath of Sam against the back of her neck, felt how he seemed to protect her with the way he was curled around her. She had no idea what time it was, but she really didn't care. Her other senses picked up that the loft and probably the cabin was getting cool, the fires having died down some time during the night.

She could hear the wind had died down some over the night hours, the grayness of predawn light coming through the curtains over the windows. It was early but she didn't want to move, her body was warmed by his and their nest of covers was quite comfortable. She closed her eyes again, her nose picking up the gentle scent of him, that of soap and a hint of aftershave as she drifted back to sleep again.

Sam woke up with a start, his internal clock already telling him that it was late morning but he was so comfortable and warm that he didn't want to get out of bed. It had been like a dream come true last night when she had invited him to sleep in the same bed with her, as he was to keep the nightmares at bay. Red hadn't hardly moved an inch over the course of the evening and still remained nestled against him.

But as he lay there, he realized that the loft and cabin had grown cool with the fires having gone down to almost nothing while they had slept in. He could hear the wind was now just a gentle hush in the pines outside. Sun streamed through the windows on the lower level, the birds chirping lightly in the spring morning. His body then told him it was time to get up or he'd be uncomfortable very soon.

He did his best to move away from her out of bed though he was loath to do so. He tucked the blanket in around her to trap in the heat still within the covers and slid off the bed. He quickly made his way downstairs to the bathroom where found his sweatshirt and slippers in the bathroom so that saved him a trip to the spare bedroom to try and find them. He splashed some water on his face and ran a hand through his hair to tame it down just a little.

When he got back to the top of the stairs, he saw that she hadn't moved yet. He gently climbed back into bed, lifting the covers and sliding under them as quickly to keep as much heat as possible in them. He was rather shocked when he finally got settled to find that she had instinctively moved up against him as if to warm him, instead of some former girlfriends that would quickly move away to huddle on their side of the bed until he'd regained some body heat. But Red moved up against him instead, her warmth driving off the chill that he had brought with him. This was almost too good to be true but when she didn't move away, he wrapped his arm over her again and tucked her up against him as he drifted back asleep.

He heard a groan of pain come from her some time later as she moved restlessly. "Red, you ok?" he asked, sounding worried.

She grew still a little as if waking finally, "Yeah…Just need to use the bathroom but I don't want to leave the bed," she grumbled half asleep.

Then he heard the strangest noise and he blinked, "Was that your stomach or mine?" he asked sheepishly.

Before he could answer, he felt his own gurgle and grumble. He heard a soft snicker from next to him. "The first noise was mine, but obviously your stomach is in agreement and seconded the motion," she said, sounding better than she had the previous two times they'd spoken the night before.

He sighed softly, "Tell you what. I'll get the fires built up a little and go down and start something for…I have no idea if it would be lunch or breakfast at this point…" he joked, "You go down and get a hot bath and soak for awhile. I'm sure you're probably pretty stiff from having slept in the same position all night."

She was silent for a moment as he felt her shift a little. "Actually only just a little sore…but I think it sounds like a good plan," she said as she rolled over under the covers to face him, her blue eyes looking at him hesitantly. "Besides, I wouldn't want to anger you. You might dump me in the lake again…," she said, looking 'very' serious.

He blinked but before he could respond with an apology, she leaned in and kissed him on the lips tenderly and all thoughts of apology or anything else for that matter went right out the window. He held his breath as he returned her kiss, afraid it was all a dream. His heart was hammering in his chest and from the flush to her face when she finally broke off the kiss that she was feeling the rush as well.

She then rolled over slowly and sat up on the edge of the bed and slid out, using the bed to help her get moving as she limped her way towards the stairs without the cane. He turned in bed and watched her go down the stairs. He pulled himself out of bed with great hesitation but finally moved to fulfill his side of the compromise. Thankfully the cabin did hold heat fairly well and the sun had been heating the floor where it came in through the windows downstairs.

He heard the water running in the tub soon afterwards as he stoked the fires and put on some classical music from her fathers collection. He went to the freezer and pulled out two meals and put them in the warming cabinets on top of the wood stove and put on a pot of water to heat for tea.

The rest of the day went by as if in a dream. She had taken a little time to just stand outside on the porch and breath in the fresh air, smelling spring in the air, hearing the birds chattering back and forth. Once she came inside when lunch was ready, they spent the rest of the afternoon camped out in front of the fireplace downstairs, listening to music, taking cat naps and talking. They talked about their childhoods, about his dad, about adventures they had been on and dreams they had of the future. They finally talked a little about their feelings for each other. She freely admitted that she was still scared of trusting anyone with her heart but if he was willing to be patient while she worked on her 'issues' of trust and commitment, she knew that he wouldn't be disappointed.

Sam finally got up to fix supper as Red dozed off again. He realized that she had showed great trust in him letting him be as close to her as he had been since late last night. By the time supper was well on its way to being done, he came back over to find her awake and she quickly held open the blanket for him to join her underneath.

He let her set the pace of things between them, not wanting to scare her off or push things farther than she was willing to go. He knew deep down he was willing to wait forever if that's what it took but he hoped it wouldn't be 'that' long. They simply spent the time sitting in the quiet of each others company. She laid her head on his shoulder, her nose softly nuzzling his neck. It sent shivers up his body and he rested his head on top of hers.

She touched him gently, almost hesitantly as if he might disappear. Her fingers slowly traced muscles and lines. She seemed to be memorizing every part of him. He let her know how much it was driving him to distraction. There was a slight hint of a smile about her lips, her blue eyes seemed to look at him with what he would term much later as her 'come hither' eyes. The rest of the evening until supper was ready was spent making love on the blankets spread out in front of the fireplace. She held to him like a drowning person would hold to a lifeline. But her touches, the sensations she gave him were like nothing he'd ever had before. His heart felt like it would burst in his chest, his mind gibbering with the knowledge that this was so right and that he had almost lost her.

After supper was over, they had spent the evening on the couch talking about life in general until she fell asleep curled up next to him. He carried her up to bed and had taken care of the other duties around the cabin, finally joining her later on, curling up around her as he had the night before.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The next morning dawned bright and the birds were busy calling out to each other from the roof of the cabin or the nearby trees. Red woke slowly, feeling Sam curled around her again. She lay there quietly, thinking about all of the things they had discussed yesterday, the lovemaking on the blankets and her general feelings about all of it. Her heart beat a little faster when she thought about what she wanted out of life now that she was no longer working for 'Uncle Sam'. She could live up here for the rest of her life with Sam, away from the rest of the world.

But she knew that the world had a way of coming to knock on your door if you did that. Deep down, she knew inevitably that Sam wouldn't be happy living the rest of his life up here like a hermit. She might enjoy it for a time but even as much trouble as people could be at times, she still needed to be around them. She needed to feel useful, like she was doing something for someone other than herself.

She closed her eyes for awhile, just feeling Sam's slow steady breathing as he slept, feeling his heartbeat against the skin of her back. She reveled in the sensation of comfort his arm around her brought, a feeling of security or protection. It felt good to have someone watching her back, so to speak. She could get very used to this very quickly. They had spoken a few times via phone when she was recovering at the hospital. The conversations had been short and each one seemed at a loss for words to say to each other. But every night since she woke to find MacGyver in the chair next to her bed, she'd had recurring nightmares until they had given her a sedative almost every night to keep her from waking up yelling at someone. She hated the feelings she got about it all and the doctors were at a loss as to what might be causing the nightmares or why she couldn't remember them when she woke.

But the two nights she'd spent in Sam's arms, protecting her, she hadn't dreamed once. She felt more refreshed this morning than she had in the past handful of weeks. She inhaled slowly, exhaling in a gush that stirred Sam. She knew that today she needed to get outside and walk or hike or just go out in the fresh air. She'd been stuck six months inside. Winter had come and gone and she hadn't even been aware of it. She felt Sam kiss the back of her neck gently and she mmmmmed softly in response.

She slipped from bed and headed downstairs to take a bath and get herself ready for the day. She felt the pain in her leg as she put her weight on it, having to stand still for a few moments while her body got accustomed to being upright instead of flat. Finally she was able to shift and limped downstairs to take a hot bath to get her muscles to work for the day. When she emerged, Sam was just crawling out of bed, taking his turn at the bath and a shave. Little was said until they both had something warm and caffeinated to drink. She came around the counter and gave him a very warm kiss good morning and then started fixing breakfast. He sat there with a stunned look on his face for a few moments before blinking and smiling sheepishly.

"I could really get used to those kind of wake up calls," he joked a little as he slid off the stool and stretched. "I'll start some laundry and get the bed made. I get a sneaking suspicion that you want to go out and do something today, yes?" he asked as he finished the last few sips of his tea.

She smiled up at him from where she was scrambling some eggs together, "Yeah. Been cooped up for six months….of which only two I can remember. I need to get back into form and I'm not going to do it lying around," she said with a slight smirk.

Sam chuckled, "All right." He headed off to do 'chores' around the cabin so that they could both keep ahead of the mess that two people could make. After breakfast was a memory and dishes done, they both headed outside. The rest of the morning was filled with walking up to the family cemetery and back after she'd had a chance to see that everything was well. Spring flowers had begun to bloom close to the ground around the gravesites, small white and yellow blossoms seemed to speak of someone having taken the time years ago to plant some spring bulbs or some self sowing plants and simply let them spread on their own.

She was quiet for the walk back down to the cabin where they grabbed a bite of lunch and then headed back outside. She fished out a hatchet from the tool shed out back and stuck it in her belt. Her cane was always with her, but it was something MacGyver had brought her from the cabin, one that had been found among the store of things. It was silver handled and had a silver tip. It had seen better days but was sturdy and did the job for her. Sam took his camera along, simply following behind her as she moved through the woods, aiming for nowhere in particular as she trimmed a few trees up of dead branches, simply letting them lay near the tree. She'd stop every now and again to look skyward and into the bottoms of the tall pines around her.

Sam quietly took pictures of the world around him, even of a few of Red when he didn't think she was looking. Finally by late afternoon they turned and headed back to the cabin. There was color in her cheeks from the cool fresh air and light breezes. She looked a little healthier. By the time they reached the cabin, she was starting to fade again. Sam was quite surprised she had made it this long into the day with all of the activity they'd done.

Sam had started a pot of frozen stew on the edge of the woodstove at lunch and when they got back, it was nice and warm, making the cabin smell delicious. He dished them up a bowl each and a glass of wine for supper. Red only managed to get half way through the stew when Sam saw her head propped up on her hand, her elbow set on the tabletop. She was sound asleep, her spoon half full of stew, sitting on top of the bowl. He couldn't imagine what she was going through with all of her injuries and all of the walking she'd done today. He pushed the rest of his stew aside and carried her up to bed, tucking her in after stripping her out of her clothes and pulling on a night shirt.

Thankfully she was only half awake for that experience but he got a good look at some of her healing injuries. It scared him how intense some of them looked, running the length of her lower leg or around her abdomen. The scar tissue from the burns and lacerations on her back almost made him want to weep. He couldn't imagine what she must have gone through.

He left to finish his own meal then cleaned up from their day of activity. He had one last thing he had to do for the day and that was to try and radio in to the hanger to let them know that things had been going fairly well.

He opened the cabinet that held the radio and pulled out the mic before tuning it to the right frequency, "Eagles Nest to Base, come in Base," he said, hoping to get an answer. He repeated the call again before releasing the mic to see if he got a reply.

"This is Base, go ahead Eagles Nest," came the familiar voice of Rachelle.

"Base, how are things in civilization? Over," he asked, releasing the mic.

"Eagles Nest, it's as good as can be expected. We were hoping to hear from you today. Erica wants to talk to Red. Is she up for it? Over," came Rachelle's voice with a slight spark of static.

"Negative, Base. She fell asleep at the dinner table. I just put her to bed a few minutes ago." He paused for a moment, "Hopefully she'll be up to company tomorrow. She walked me all over these hills already today. We'll have to see how she does tomorrow when she wakes up," he stated with a slight chuckle, "Over."

"Affirmative, Eagles Nest. Want me to call your dad and give him an update? Over."

"Affirmative, Base. He should probably plan on coming up here in a day or two with some of the things he has for her. Over," he commented, trying to keep it light but he hoped his dad picked up on the message within the message. Sam got the feeling that with another day or two of activity, the edge she still seemed to have about her might have worn off and they could start telling her about some of the things MacGyver found out about what was in her fathers journals and what had happened with the crash

"Roger, Eagles Nest. You two get things worked out between you? Over," came an inquisitive voice, full of a little hope and tinged with worry.

"Somewhat, Base. Not pushing things though. Over," he said, feeling a bit sheepish over trying to answer that question. Though it wasn't really their concern, in a way it was.

"Affirmative, Eagles Nest. Talk to you tomorrow. Over and out." The radio went silent and Sam put the mic back in the cabinet and shut the doors. He stood there quietly, looking at the books in the case in front of him before shaking himself out of his thoughts as he headed to the couch to sit and watch the fire for awhile. He was tired but he wasn't quite ready to go to bed.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

A startling scream of fear mixed with rage brought Sam out of the dead sleep he had found himself in, still laying on the couch. He had fallen asleep there while trying to sort out a few things for himself. He was up with a start, taking the steps two at a time to the loft. He looked around in a panic when he didn't see Red in bed. He heard her fast breathing spurred on by fear and followed the sound to the other side of the bed where he found her pressed up against the dark corner. Her eyes were wide with fear but her body language spoke of anger towards the one causing this fear.

"Red?" he questioned her as he stayed at the end of the bed, not willing to cause her more fear by getting her cornered.

"DON'T! come any closer you ass! I don't know where it is. I can't tell you what I don't know!" she shouted to someone, but it wasn't at Sam. Her eyes seemed to see something else, to see someone else.

"Cheyenne…wake up," he called to her, hoping to snap her out of it. Though he hadn't spent much time around her until now, he had been on camping trips with his dad and her. Rachelle might have mentioned something too if she'd had nightmares while she had stayed with her the last time she'd been on vacation.

She pushed herself up the wall, "I don't care WHO you think you are. You can't interrogate me like this. I know my rights," she said, the words hanging chill in the air around Sam. He saw her wild eyes as she stared at the wall behind him.

She struggled with something imaginary, "Don't TOUCH me! You can't do this! I don't know where the stupid thing is. Why are you doing this?" she babbled on, the lights suddenly coming on for Sam.

He had to break her out of this nightmare she seemed caught in, reliving it every night as if her subconscious was trying to make her remember, bring it to the surface for her to see. Sam had questioned her about her nightmare she had the first night up here but she couldn't remember anything except the sense of fear and anger she felt every time.

He moved towards her, "Red, it's me, Sam. Wake up." He said as he had to do what he was afraid to do. He had to corner her and get her to wake up. She shrank back from him, her hands coming up to punch at whoever she thought he might be. He sidestepped a punch she threw and quickly grappled her, pinning her arms to her side as he picked her up.

She screamed in rage, still stuck in the nightmare she couldn't free herself from. He tried to hold onto her so he wouldn't hurt her but she was doing her best to be free of him. He quickly carried her down the stairs and managed to get the door open to the outside. She was sobbing in fear while trying to scream with rage. He struggled to get her out the door and to the edge of the porch where the rain barrel stood overflowing. With one quick movement he tossed her into the barrel feet first.

He was panting as he looked down at her. She was in no danger of drowning but the moment she'd hit the cold water, she stopped her screaming. Worried for a moment that he'd hurt her, he cautiously leaned farther over the railing to get a good look at her. She was staring up at him with an utterly shocked expression on her face.

She was definitely awake but she seemed unable to move for the moment. Finally he lowered his arms to help her up out of the barrel. She was shivering hard from the cold water, her teeth chatter as she clung to him as he pulled her out. "Red? You ok? You had me scared half to death…," he stated, trying to minimize the possible damage she could do to him if she felt like it.

She turned her wide eyes to look at him, her teeth chattering, "Wha….How…I.." She paused suddenly, a look of horror that soon turned to anger, "Oh god…I remember Sam. I remember what they did to me…" She suddenly grabbed his arms, clutching to him, her eyes wide with fear. He pulled her to him, even as soaked as she was. It was all it took before she started crying, her body shaking as sobs raked her body. She had never showed any sign of weakness around him in the eleven years she'd known him. She had always been cool, aloof, indifferent, keeping everyone at arms length. But for the first time, he saw everything crumble away from those facades and left her with nothing to hide behind.

He gathered her up in his arms as he picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he headed inside. Once there, he shut the door with his foot and took her to the bathroom where he set her down. He moved over to the tub and turned on the water to start a hot bath for her.

She was trying to control her tears but seemed to be having a hard time of it. He wiped away the tears, "Listen. Just let it all out. There's nothing to be ashamed of. Ok?" he said gently. "It's not a sign of weakness but a mental defense that we all have. Some of us just have to be more overwhelmed for it to trigger than others. I think you have every right to feel overwhelmed."

He kissed her forehead, then each wet cheek before kissing her lips gently. "Take a long soak and we'll talk when you're done. It's best to get it out now than to sit on it. Ok?" he asked her as she shook with cold and emotions. He only got a little nod from her but it was a start. "I'll get you some dry clothes while you're in the tub."

He left her standing there but soon he heard her climb into the water with a slight hiss as her cold and sore muscles came in contact with the warm water. He went upstairs and pulled out some dry clothes for her and took them back down to her, leaning in to put them on the edge of the sink. He then left the door cracked a little and put on some soft classical music on the turntable, just loud enough that she could hear it through the door.

He put a pot of water on the stove to make tea and made sure all of the fires had been well stoked. He turned down all of the lights, leaving just the fireplace to illuminate the living room. He brought over the pot of tea and two cups to set on the stone base near the fire to keep it warm. He found several blankets and flopped on the couch, his own cup of tea sitting next to him as he waited for her to get out of the bath.

As he had begun to doze off, he heard her soft footsteps as she came over to him and sat down. She sat facing the fire, her knees curled up to her chest as her arms held them close to her. He draped a blanket over her and pulled her up against him as he stretched out around her. He remained quiet, letting her sort through her thoughts and memories as he waited for her to begin. He wasn't willing to rush her so he simply memorized her features that were highlighted by the fire.

"Sam. When I was a small girl, I had fallen into a sinkhole when my parents and I had gone camping. Sinkholes aren't all that uncommon but having someone fall into one is. It was hours before my adoptive parents found me. By then I was almost paralyzed with fear. The ground had been slowly falling in around me and I was buried up to my elbows, my arms pinned to my side. They pulled me out somehow but I was scared witless for several days, clinging to my mom for hours on end, shaking. I got over it eventually but to this day I still have a severe phobia of being buried alive. I can't handle being in very tight quarters, basically being in a box where I can't move. Some have said that I really don't have a phobia because I'm not scared of the close quarters of cockpits but it's a different concept. I'm in control of things in there, I can move about to some extent. I'm not trapped. When I joined the Air Force they eventually do a psyche evaluation and if I hadn't already come in with the knowledge of how to fly and was a damned good pilot, I might have been kicked out. They frown heavily on people with severe phobias like mine. It's a detriment in battle if you're on the ground and so forth," she said, keeping close to him.

"The day I had off before the first flight test in October I was being interrogated. But they used things to try and control me, to get me to tell them what I knew about 'Airwolf'. The Firm found out I was Stringfellow Hawkes daughter and had inherited his estate. I guess they assumed I'd find out the secret where he hid it. Even twenty years later, they haven't been able to find it. They finally resorted to trying to scare it out of me by shoving me in a box and nailing the lid shut. I…," she paused, swallowing. "By the time they were done, I still hadn't told them anything but I was terrified into a stupor. I guess they must have used something to put me to sleep, making me forget those twenty four hours. I don't know how. Something that strong, you think I'd remember."

Sam ran a hand over her hair. "In a way, you did. It wasn't until those mental walls relaxed while you were sleeping to let out the nightmares of your ordeal. Apparently shocking you awake with a cold dip in the rain barrel was enough to get you to snap out of it and not forget. You were too stunned by the cold water for your subconscious to throw those protective barriers back up. But hey, I'm not a psychologist. I've just spent too much time around Pete and dad," he said with a slight smirk.

Red tried to smile but there was a fear still evident on her face. "Sam, they want something I can't give them. I think they'll keep coming after me. They've tried to kill me once, what if they try again?"

He grew quiet as he sat and thought about it. His eyes drifted towards the fire, licking at the wood it blossomed on. "Then we need to find it and use it as a bargaining chip to get them to back off."

Her eyes opened a little wider, "But, I've no idea where to start looking!" she exclaimed, "I've been all over this place and I don't know of anything that has a 'x' marks the spot on it."

Sam shrugged, "Those journals of your dad's must have a clue in them somewhere. Perhaps there's something at the hanger?" He was grasping at straws but he wanted to lay this idea out for her.

Red was quiet now. Her thoughts turned inward, weighing the possibilities and the need to find something to protect herself with against this unknown that had almost cost her the one thing she wasn't ready to give up yet…her life.

"All right. But we are going to need help," came her soft reply.

He nodded, "I know. And perhaps I can get dad to start looking on his end and we'll just need to keep our eyes open for any clues they might have left us." He reached out and pulled her to him. He held her gently, nuzzling his face up against the side of her neck as he wrapped his body around hers as if to protect her from whatever might come at them.

And she let him…

The next part of this story is soon coming but it's unfinished so I will be working to try and bring about the rest of it. Bear with me and please review. I love reviews, comments, questions, concerns. It is the food that a writer like me lives upon. It helps us write more, write better and be more productive.

I hope you've enjoyed this story so far. Thank you!


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